


The Bad Boy and the Freak

by prettylittletraitors



Category: Stranger Things (TV 2016)
Genre: Angst, Child Abuse, F/M, Fluff, Step-siblings
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-09-18
Updated: 2020-09-30
Packaged: 2020-10-21 09:23:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 14
Words: 47,062
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20691185
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/prettylittletraitors/pseuds/prettylittletraitors
Summary: Billy hated Krystal. He hated having another step-sister. He hated having to move to Hawkins because of her. And most of all, he hated how she was the only girl who was able to get under his skin. He couldn't really have feelings for his freak of a step-sister, could he? Billy/OC





	1. Hawkins

Billy hated Krystal. He had decided that fact before he had even met her. If it wasn't for the teenage girl they wouldn't have had to move to the backwards town of Hawkins. Billy couldn't understand why Susan, his stepmother was suddenly acting like she cared about her estranged daughter. Susan hadn't seen Krystal for over a year, and most of the time seemed happy enough to ignore the existence of her. That was until Benny Hammond, Krystal's father, had committed suicide in front of his daughter, and a wave of trouble was set in motion. Krystal had quickly been fostered after spending only a few weeks in care, much to her mother's surprise. It had been the calm before the storm as only a few weeks ago, Krystal had turned up in California, insisting that she wouldn't be returning to her foster parents anytime soon. From the bruises and cuts littering her body, Susan quickly agreed to this. Billy's father seemed to see this as a lucky opportunity to get away from the questions that had begun to surround Billy's own cuts and bruises that were becoming more frequent. And that's how Billy found himself driving himself, and his two step-sisters towards Hawkins High the day before Halloween. Both Billy and Max had been surprised that morning when Krystal announced she wanted to sit shotgun, which wouldn't have been a strange request, apart from the fact that it was the first time she had spoken since they had arrived in Hawkins. The girl was practically a mute. At least he could get a rise out of Max, but with Krystal, it was like something inside her had broken. He glanced at the girl beside him, her long brunette hair flying past her face from the strength of the wind. From the few pictures Billy had seen of her father, Krystal was a 50/50 mix between her parents. She inherited her pale skin, and blue eyes from her mother, but her dark hair and more muscular frame from her father. Billy made sure to have this music on full blast, and even revved the engine more than needed, as he drove into the school parking lot. If there was one thing he was good at, it was making an entrance. He could already tell half of the school's eyes were on his car. Max grabbed her backpack and skateboard, and climbed out of the backseat, not sparing either of them a glance.

"Max!" A voice called out, just as she was about to hop on her skateboard.

Max turned around with wide eyes, as she realised it was her sister who had spoken. It was almost disturbing that she had forgotten what her sister's voice sounded like.

"Have a good day" Krystal told her, giving her a tense smile.

"Uh, sure. You too" Max nodded, noticing how it seemed like it almost pained Krystal to speak.

"Are you not going to say the same to me?" Billy questioned, raising an eyebrow.

Krystal turned to him, simply raising an eyebrow right back. Billy was convinced she wasn't going to say anything until he saw her eyes focus on where he knew a bruise would be blossoming in his hairline. When he had told his father last night that he didn't want to drive his step-sisters to school, his father hadn't been best pleased.

"What are you looking at, freak?" Billy hissed, hoping to make her feel uncomfortable.

"I'm looking at you" She stated, in such a way that it was Billy who instead felt uncomfortable.

"Jesus, I swear you've got a screw loose" Billy scoffed, looking away from her.

"If you want to get into the popular group quickly, you should join the basketball team. Talk to Tommy H. He's a dick…you'd probably like him" Krystal informed him, leaving Billy speechless.

"What, so you're talking now?" Billy asked, as Krystal exited the car.

"Only when I feel like it" She shrugged, picking up her backpack and walking towards the school.

Shaking his head, Billy mulled over the advice she had just given to him. It wasn't so much that he liked being popular, but more that he needed it. He needed to feel like he was in control somewhere. He just couldn't understand how Krystal had figured that out already in only a few weeks.

Meanwhile, Krystal was gripping onto the strap from her backpack, hoping that the passengers in the car she was approaching wouldn't notice her. She had been so distracted by her conversation with Billy that she hadn't realised where she was walking. Krystal hadn't been planning on saying anything to her new step-brother, but when she noticed the bruise on his face, it was easy to put two and two together. It seemed like they had a lot more in common than Krystal had first thought. However, she hadn't been planning on saying anything to Max either. She wanted to bang her head into a wall, seeing how her resolve had already begun to crumble. It was easier not having to speak, it was safer.

"Krystal?" A familiar voice questioned, distracting her from her thoughts.

"Hey…I…I thought you were still in California" Steve Harrington exclaimed, as Nancy came to his side.

Krystal simply shrugged in response, gripping the strap even harder. She could tell a small crowd had begun to watch their interaction, interested to see how it turned out. Steve began to approach Krystal, whose grip on her backpack had become painful.

"Maybe…maybe we should hang out sometime? It feels like it's been forever since-" Steve was cut off when Krystal's fist suddenly slammed into his face.

Steve would have fallen to the ground from the impact if Nancy wasn't there to steady him. He looked up at Krystal with a shocked expression, his eyes wide. Krystal seemed to be practically bristling with anger, words on the tip of her tongue. However, she simply flipped him off and stormed through the crowd of teenagers. Billy had watched the entire reaction, as he realised he had a small grin on his face from watching his step-sister wail on some lanky guy after not even being back at the school for five minutes. Maybe she wasn't quite as boring as he thought.

* * *

Billy noticed that Krystal seemed to have bunked off school after lunch, which allowed him time to gather some information on her. While he was making out with some girl whose name he couldn't even remember, he brought up the fight that had happened in the parking lot. Unsurprisingly, she was more than happy to gossip, and Billy soon found out some things that shocked him. Supposedly, Krystal and Steve had not only been best friends for years but also the King and Queen of the school. Krystal had been at the top of her classes, sociable if a bit of a bitch, and alongside being King's Steve's right-hand woman, everyone had known her. That all changed after her father's suicide, as she became withdrawn from everyone, and Steve seemed determined to avoid her at all costs. She had all but stopped speaking to everyone a few months ago, even her teachers couldn't get more than a nod out of her. The girl told him that Krystal had slowly just faded into the background and that's where she had stayed until she came into school a few weeks ago looking like she had been beaten within an inch of her life. Steve had finally approached her and some big argument went down, which resulted in Krystal storming out of the school, and Billy guessed getting a one-way ticket to California. True to her word, Krystal showed up at his car just after the bell rang to signify the end of the school day. Billy couldn't stop the grin spreading on his face, as he watched her slide into the passenger seat. Happy he finally had some ammunition to get under the girl's skin, he flicked his cigarette to the ground and got into the driver's seat. Just as he went to open his mouth, he saw Krystal pulling an air freshener out of her bag, which she hung from the front mirror.

"What's this?" He questioned, touching the pine fresh item.

"For the cow shit" Krystal shrugged, as he pulled her seatbelt on.

Billy's mouth hung open for a moment, as he realised that she must have somehow noticed the grimace on his face when he smelt the manure in the fields, as they were driving to the school. It was such a small reaction, that Billy couldn't help but wonder what else Krystal had already picked up on. He subconsciously, smoothed his hair down, hiding the bruise that had begun to show more.

* * *

"How was school?" Susan smiled, as they all arrived home.

"Nothing special" Max stated, going to the kitchen for a glass of water.

"Krystal?" Susan questioned, only getting a shrug in reply, as the young girl flopped down onto the couch.

"Billy, how was your first day?" Susan inquired, as Billy surveyed the house, finding that his father wasn't home.

"New building, same old skanks" Billy mumbled, earning a small snigger from Krystal on the couch.

"Billy!" Susan gasped, disgusted by his language.

"Sorry, same old whores. Is that better?" Billy smirked, enjoying riling up his stepmother.

"I don't appreciate that sort of language in this household. Stop it now or…or I'll tell your father" Susan insisted, as Billy's jaw tensed, and he pushed past her to sit on the couch.

"Did you talk to Tommy H?" Krystal inquired, as she took her shoes off.

"Yes, but not because you told me to" Billy mumbled, knowing how childish he sounded.

"That 'skank' you were making out with at lunch today…it's his girlfriend, by the way" Krystal informed him, a small smirk on her face.

Billy's eyes widened at this knowledge, not only because he could have already committed social suicide but because it meant that Krystal had been watching him.

"What, are you some peeping tom now?" Billy scoffed.

"If you don't want my help with taking over the school…that's your problem" Krystal shrugged, about to stand up.

"And why would you want that? Don't your loyalties lie with 'King Steve'?" Billy suggested.

"I hate Steve. I haven't known you long enough yet to hate you, but who knows, there's still time" Krystal shrugged, almost teasingly.

Suddenly Billy could start to see how she was once running Hawkins High. He couldn't understand how one minute she looked as meek as a mouse, and next she was acting sly enough to take even him on.

"Trust me, you'll hate him by next week" Max scoffed, overhearing the end of their conversation.

Krystal seemed to stiffen when she saw her younger sister approaching and shrugged once again before scurrying off to her room. Billy could see the hurt on Max's face at how Krystal was acting around her, but he couldn't understand why.

Krystal slammed her bedroom door shut and let her head fall against it. She hated upsetting Max, but she couldn't afford to get close to anyone again. Her father, her foster parents, even Steve…every let her down. At least with Billy, she didn't have to worry about that. Billy didn't care about her, and he had made that clear from the start. She knew where she stood with him.


	2. Halloween Eve

"Honey, can I come in?" Susan Hargrove questioned, as she knocked on her daughter's door.

When she got no response, either way, she pushed the door open, her eyes widening as she looked around the room. There were almost a dozen lamps placed in strategic places and metres of fairy lights covering the length of Krystal's bedroom.

"When did you do this?" Susan inquired, finding Krystal reading a book on her bed.

Krystal made no sign that she had heard her mother and flipped over to the next page in her book.

"Neil's asked Billy to get our grocery shopping for the week while we go out for date night. He wants you to go with Billy" Susan explained, as Krystal looked up with a frown.

"He wants you to keep him in line, I think" Susan went on, as Krystal raised an eyebrow before looking back down at her book.

"Max will have to go with him otherwise-" Susan informed her, as Krystal threw the book onto her pillow, pushing herself up from the bed.

"Is that a yes?" Susan tried to clarify, as Krystal pushed past her.

"Honey, why won't you speak to me?" Susan asked as she grabbed Krystal's wrist.

Krystal's eyes snapped to her mother's as she let out a scoff, pulling her wrist from her grip. She couldn't believe her mother was so oblivious to how Krystal would feel about being abandoned for so many years. Her mother never cared about her before, so she didn't understand why she was trying to act like she did. Krystal threw on a large leather jacket and exited the house where she found Billy smoking against his car.

"What are you doing?" Billy questioned, as Krystal opened the door to the car.

"Babysitting" Krystal shrugged, as she sat in the passenger seat.

"My dad put you up to this?" Billy guessed as she nodded.

"Do you want me to leave?" Krystal raised an eyebrow, as he got into the driver's seat.

"Not unless I want a matching bruise" Billy mumbled, looking in his front mirror at the bruise which had become more noticeable throughout the day,

"You can barely see it with all that hair" Krystal pointed out, getting a look from Billy.

"Says you. Your hair's so long it's practically touching your ass" Billy retorted.

"At least I don't have a hairy ass" Krystal teased, with a small smile.

"I don't have a hairy ass!" Billy exclaimed, making Krystal laugh at his childish behaviour.

"There, there. Mind your blood pressure" Krystal mocked, patting him on his shoulder.

"I didn't think it was possible but your actually more annoying than Max" Billy scoffed, brushing her hand off him.

As if on cue, Max opened the backdoor and flopped into the car, as Billy turned around expectantly.

"Mum says you have to take me to the arcade" Max announced, as Billy rolled his eyes.

Krystal couldn't keep the amused smile off her face, as Billy was clearly revaluating who the more annoying sibling was.

"What's so funny?" Max questioned, but only got a shrug from Krystal in response.

Max leaned back against her seat with a huff, she couldn't understand why her sister seemed happy enough to talk to Billy of all people but would blank her at every opportunity. It wasn't fair, it was their mother who had abandoned Krystal, not her, Max thought to herself.

* * *

"If you're even half a second late, I'll leave without you" Billy told Max, as he parked outside of the arcade.

"No, you won't" Max mumbled, as she opened her door, knowing Billy would fear the repercussions from his father too much.

"What did you say? Don't test me, Max" Billy warned her, turning around in his seat.

"I'll be here, alright? Jesus" Max grumbled as she slammed the door shut.

"Don't close the door so fucking hard!" Billy yelled as Max flipped him off before storming into the arcade.

"Oh God, are you one of those guys that think his car's his baby?" Krystal guessed.

"If I so much as chip the paint on this car my dad's going to rain all hell on me" Billy admitted.

"Then why don't you just tell Max that?" Krystal stated.

"Why don't you just talk to her?" Billy retorted as he started the car.

Krystal opened her mouth to respond but seemed to think better of it, and shut her mouth, crossing her arms as she did. Billy could tell immediately he had found a sore spot for Krystal and couldn't help but push it further.

"Are you really that jealous that she's clearly your mum's favourite?" Billy guessed as Krystal shook her head.

"You think that's what this is about?" Krystal scoffed.

"It's not?" Billy insisted.

"I'm not mad at Max" Krystal replied.

"Jesus, I'd hate to see when you actually like someone then" Billy mocked.

"Likewise. How exactly did you charm Carol enough to stick your tongue down her throat?" Krystal asked.

"A gentleman never tells" Billy joked, as Krystal let out a small laugh.

"If there's one thing you're not, it's a gentleman, Billy" Krystal pointed out, as they shared a knowing look.

* * *

"C'mon, if you want to become King of the school then you need to make sure your costume is good" Krystal announced, as they looked around a costume store.

Krystal had convinced Billy that he should go to the upcoming Halloween party if he wanted any chance of becoming popular.

"This girl, Tina? It's her party, right?" Billy questioned, not sparing a look at most costumes.

"Yep, she's the most popular and probably richest girl in the school" Krystal told him.

"Is she hot?" Billy asked, with a mischievous glint in his eyes.

"She's irritating and a smart ass, so I expect she's just your type" Krystal replied, as Billy huffed a laugh.

"Oh, so the kitten does have some claws?" Billy questioned, raising an eyebrow at her.

"I used to…can you just pick something already?" Krystal mumbled, getting annoyed as he hadn't been paying attention to the costumes for at least ten minutes.

"Trust me, I'll be much more popular out of my costume" Billy smirked, as he exited the shop with Krystal following behind.

"Tina's party might not have a dress code, but I think there might be a problem if you turn up naked" Krystal informed him, with a shake of her head.

"Who said anything about naked?" Billy exclaimed, his eyes landing on her leather jacket.

Without another word, he had stripped off his shirt in the street, getting a disapproving look from a group of middle-aged women. He sent a wink their way, enjoying the way they blushed.

"The hell are doing?" Karmen frowned, looking away from his shirtless chest.

As much as she had tried to ignore it, her new stepbrother was irritatingly good looking. With his dirty blond hair, piercing blue eyes and from what she could see, rippling abs, he was enough to make any girl weak in the knees.

"Give me your jacket" Billy stated, holding his hand out.

"What, why?" Krystal questioned.

"You want me to wear a costume, well I think I just found the one I want" He pointed out, as he came to stand behind her.

Billy pushed her hair to the side, his fingertips trailing against her neck as he did so. Krystal shivered slightly, not used to the intimate contact from anyone, especially someone who looked like Billy. He then pulled the jacket off her shoulders and shrugged it on, finding that it fit him perfectly as it was too big for her.

"It was my Dad's" Krystal admitted, when Billy seemed to be questioning why it was so big.

"Oh…uh, I can find something else-" Billy started, feeling a rare sliver of guilt.

"It's fine. I took half of his wardrobe. I have like seven of his jackets" Krystal shrugged.

"Huh, and I thought your mum had a lot of clothes" Billy joked, taking a cigarette out of his shirt pocket.

"Maybe that's the reason she liked him" Krystal laughed lightly.

"You know I think you've talked more tonight than you have the past few weeks" Billy stated, feeling it needed to be said.

"Right back at you. What happened to the annoyed glares you've been sending my way for dragging you to this 'hick town'?" Krystal questioned, as Billy lit his cigarette.

"Maybe you're not the most annoying stepsister after all…besides we were gonna' have to leave California anyway" Billy shrugged, as Krystal grimaced at the use of the word.

"Okay, I vote that we never use our names and brother and sister in the same sentence" Krystal suggested.

"Deal" Billy nodded, with a twitch of his lips.

"You should ask Tommy H. for an invite to Tina's party tomorrow. She and Carol are joined at the hip, so he'll definitely be able to get you an invite" Krystal explained.

"You're not coming?" Billy realised.

"Well I wouldn't want to ruin the King to Be's reputation" Krystal mocked.

"It's that or go trick r' treating with Max. Trust me, it's better than staying in alone with my dad" Billy stated.

"Parties aren't really my thing…not anymore" Krystal mumbled.

"What if I say I'll throw my drink over Harrington?" Billy suggested as Krystal shook her head fondly.

"As much as I would like to see that…it's still a no. It's just not a good idea" Krystal insisted.

Billy decided to drop the subject, not understanding himself why he had been pushing so hard for her to come. For someone who was usually so quiet, she was easy to talk to.

"This doesn't mean we're good now or anything, okay? I still don't like you and the rest of your family" Billy told her, as she put her hands up in mock defence.

"And I still think you're an ass" Krystal shrugged, walking past him. 

Billy opened his mouth to reply but found the words died in his mouth. Instead, he felt a smile tugging on his lips.


	3. Tina's Party

"What's got you so pissed, Princess?" Billy asked, spotting Krystal reading a book on the couch, barely contained anger on her face.

"Some asshole has pissed off his step-sister so bad, that now her sister is having to walk her into town to go Trick R' Treating" Krystal stated, with a glare.

"I can't help it if the little shit can't take a joke" Billy huffed.

"She said you almost ran over some kids in her class" Krystal pointed out, raising an eyebrow.

"Almost being the important word" Billy retorted, with a smug look.

"Well thanks for ruining my evening, anyways" Krystal grumbled, going back to look at her book.

"And what exactly were you planning on doing? Got a hot date?" Billy went on, going to stand behind the couch.

This time Krystal didn't reply to him, as Billy rolled his neck in annoyance. He then grabbed an invitation from his pocket, dropping it into Krystal's lap.

"I already told you I'm not going" Krystal insisted, seeing it was an invite to Tina's party.

"What are you so scared of? Having a little fun?" Billy questioned, crouching down so that he was level with her ear.

"Cheap booze and drunk teens? Doesn't exactly sound like it's going to be the highlight of my week" Krystal pointed out.

"And Trick R' Treating with Max sounds like more fun?" Billy raised an eyebrow, as she turned to look at him.

"She's thirteen. I'm not going to let her wander around the neighbourhood late at night" Krystal exclaimed.

"Find her some other kids to hang out with then" Billy shrugged.

"We wouldn't even be having this argument if you hadn't been an asshole to her earlier" Krystal went on.

"Well if you change your mind and want to have some fun…it starts at 8" Billy told her, as Krystal could feel his breath against her face, as she realised just how close they were to each other.

"Don't hold your breath" Krystal smirked, her eyes dropping down at his lips curved into an amused smile.

"You got my outfit?" Billy questioned, standing upright.

"It's hanging by the door" Krystal informed him, turning her attention back to her book.

She heard him walk away and could hear the rustling of fabric, finding he had stripped off his shirt when she turned around. They had left California over a month ago, but his chest was still as tanned as the rest of his body. With an amused snort, she realised he must have shaved his chest, as it now looked ridiculously smooth, apart from a line of dark hair that ran from his stomach past his jeans. She looked away quickly when she felt her face begin to flush, not wanting him to catch her practically ogling his body.

"Well, what do you think?" Billy questioned, holding his arms out as Krystal turned back around.

"You look like an asshole who spends too much time staring at himself in the mirror," Krystal told him.

"That's cute" Billy snorted, as he opened the door.

"…I'll see you later?" Billy said, as more of a question than a statement.

Krystal suddenly realised just how important it was to Billy that the night went well. He wanted to be in charge at school because he couldn't be at home, she guessed. He was going to the party early, probably hoping to gain favour with Tina. Krystal just couldn't understand why he wanted her there.

"Maybe" She shrugged, as he nodded, before closing the door.

* * *

"This is humiliating…you could have at least dressed up" Max groaned, as she and Krystal walked into town.

Krystal rolled her eyes at her little sister's nagging, but she could understand why. She was only wearing a sweatshirt and jeans; it wasn't exactly Trick R' Treating attire.

"I don't even know why you're here" Max grumbled, kicking a nearby rock.

"It's not safe to be out late at night…definitely not in this town" Krystal mumbled, her mind going to her late father.

"You know you'd actually have to care about me to be worried about my safety" Max scoffed.

"I do care" Krystal winced.

"You don't act like it" Max stated.

"I'm just going through…stuff" Krystal told her, not being able to find the right words.

"Stuff? Really? And that's why this is the most you've talked to me in a year?" Max huffed.

"It's complicated" Krystal retorted.

"People always say that, but it's not. You hate me because mom took kept me and sent you away to your dad" Max explained.

"That's not true! Don't ever think that!" Krystal insisted, stopping in front of her.

"Then what is it? Because you seem to like Billy more than me, and he's a dick" Max went on.

"He's not that bad" Krystal shrugged, as Max seemed to have become distracted by a group of boys in front of them.

"Look I'm glad that you're actually talking to me for once, but this is so embarrassing having to have my sister escorting me on Halloween. So…" Max trailed off.

"I can't leave you on your own, Max" Krystal shook her head.

"You won't. Those are my friends up there" Max exclaimed, pointing to the group of boys.

"Those kids?" Krystal frowned.

"What, do you know them?" Max queried.

"Kind of...they were involved in…everything that went down last year" Krystal explained.

"Oh…well, I'm not exactly run off my feet with offers of kids who want to hang around with me" Max went on, giving her sister a sad look.

"Okay, okay. You'll have to get one of their parents to give you a lift home. And make sure your home by ten!" Krystal called after her, as she was already rushing towards the group.

Krystal shook her head fondly, as she saw Max pull her Mike Myers mask over her head and jumped out at the boys, clearly scaring the hell out of them. Taking the invitation out of her pocket, she stared at it for a few seconds before hearing a doorbell ring in the distance. She looked up to see the only shop that seemed to be open was a costume shop.

"Why not" She shrugged to herself, walking in the shop's direction.

* * *

Billy had his arm slung around Tina's shoulder, pulling her close, with a drink in his other hand when he heard everyone go quiet behind him. He turned around to see what everyone was looking at, putting his drink to his lips as he did so. The alcohol never reached his mouth, as he slowly lowered his drink when he saw what the attraction was. Krystal was walking towards the party in what appeared to be a Red Riding Hood costume. Tied up in a black corset, short red skirt and thigh-high boots, she had everyone's attention. Mostly because she hadn't been seen at any social event for a year, but in Billy's case because he was pretty sure he was almost drooling. Closing his mouth which had dropped open the moment he saw her, he pulled away from Tina, making his way towards her.

"Well, well. Look what the cat dragged in" Billy exclaimed, letting his eyes trail up and down her body one last time.

"Seeing as you were so devastated about me not coming, I figured I'd make an appearance" She shrugged, with a smirk.

"I knew you would" He grinned, actually looking happy.

"I believe I was promised cheap booze" Krystal suggested, eyeing his drink.

"Your wish is my command, Princess" Billy teased, handing her his red cup.

As Krystal began to take a swig of the drink, Billy pushed the end of the cup up higher, forcing her to drink more. She brushed his hands away with a laugh, as some of the alcohol dripped down her cheek. With what could only be described as a shit-eating grin, he wiped away the alcohol with his thumb.

"I was also promised some fun" Krystal stated.

"Then you've come to the right place," Billy told her, grabbing her hand and pulling her towards the speakers.

* * *

An hour later, and both teenagers were starting to feel the full effects of the alcohol in their system. Krystal swayed to the loud music, no thoughts of the usual fear and anxiety that had been plaguing her for the last year. Billy was surprised by how carefree she seemed and imagined this was how she had been most of the time before her father's death. He found himself wishing he had known her back then. He quickly pushed the weird thought out of his head, as he saw Krystal was smiling at him. She raised her cup to clink their cups together, but put too much strength behind the motion, almost spilling most of the alcohol from both cups. The pair laughed at the action, finding it much funnier than it was.

"You want to see if you're still the reining Keg Queen, Hammond?" Tommy H. suggested to Krystal.

The pair had been the centre of attention that night, not only because it was strange to see Krystal actually interacting with people, but because of her behaviour around her step-brother. Tommy H. knew he wasn't the only one who had picked up that the pair didn't act like they were supposed to be siblings.

"What's this?" Billy questioned.

"Krystal here still holds the record for longest time drinking from the keg upside down" Carol explained, patting Krystal on the back, who seemed a little uncomfortable at the gesture.

"Aren't you full of surprises" Billy stated, raising his eyebrow at her.

"You have no idea" Krystal giggled, drunkenly, as she rushed over to the keg.

Billy followed her, as she placed the keg tap in her mouth, and grabbed onto the edge of the keg. Tommy H. and Carol walked forward to help lift her, but Billy pushed in front of them. He grabbed her thighs, making sure he had a good grip before he lifted her off the ground, and her arms pushed her body into a headstand. Tommy H. turned the tap on, seeming disappointed that Krystal's skirt was tight enough that it didn't slip down even when she was upside down. Krystal made it to forty seconds before the weight of being upside down, and the amount of alcohol she was chugging down made her too dizzy to keep her balance. She might have fallen off the keg, if it wasn't for Billy's strong grip on her thighs, as he helped lower her down. She laughed drunkenly, as everyone began cheering her name, seeing as she had just beaten her own record.

"My turn" Billy announced, a mischievous tone to his voice, as he placed the keg tap between his lips.

Krystal and Tommy H. helped push him upright, but he seemed to need no help in staying in the headstand. His muscular arms did all the work, and soon enough forty-two seconds had passed, as Billy finally submitted, jumping to the ground. He spat out the remanding alcohol, as everyone cheered around him.

"We have a new Keg King!" Tommy H. announced, patting Billy on the back.

"That's how you do it, Hawkins! That's how you do it!" Billy yelled, grabbing a cigarette from Tommy H's hand.

"I think Harrington should hear he's been dethroned…don't you, Krystal?" Tommy H. suggested as Krystal glared at him, knowing he just wanted another fight.

"I think you're right. It's time I met this...King Steve" Billy announced a mischevious look in his eyes.


	4. Drunken Fights

Krystal watched as Billy began to push his way through the crowds towards Steve, who seemed to be in deep conversation with Nancy. As she began to follow him, she let her eyes wander over Steve, who she knew would have spent over an hour doing his hair for the party. Billy came to a halt right in front of him, as he gave Steve an unimpressed look, taking a puff of his cigarette.

"Can I help you?" Steve questioned, raising an eyebrow.

"I'm just wondering how some prissy boy like you used to be King of the school" Billy answered, his cigarette hanging from his lips.

"I really don't have time for this shit-" Steve scoffed, with a shake of his head.

"From what I hear you don't have time for a lot of things" Billy retorted, as Krystal couldn't help but wonder if he was referring to her.

This stopped Steve in his tracks, as he took a proper look at Billy for the first time and seemed to realise who he was. Nancy guessed that the confrontation wasn't going to end well and rolled her eyes. She didn't want to get involved in teenage drama and walked away towards the drinks table.

"Look, new kid-" Steve started, but Billy cut him off once again.

"It's Hargrove. Billy Hargrove. You should learn the name, you'll be hearing it a lot" Billy smirked, taking a step forward.

"Jesus, you're really full of yourself, huh? Or are you just full of shit?" Steve mocked, as Billy began to grin.

"Maybe you have some fire in you, after all, Harrington" Billy cheered.

Steve rolled his eyes in response and realised that Nancy was no longer with him. He turned around to look for her in the crowd, as Billy decided to push him further.

"Shame you turned bitch. But hey, I can see why. Wheeler looks like a good lay. And from what I hear, she doesn't take much persuasion-" Billy exclaimed, as Steve whipped around and grabbed him by the lapels of his leather jacket, pure anger on his face.

"Don't talk about her like that!" Steve warned him, looking ready to explode.

"Take your fucking hands off me" Billy growled, in a low tone.

Krystal could see the dangerous look in Billy's eyes and knew if she didn't intervene, Steve would probably end up in the hospital.

"Steve, let him go" Krystal announced, putting her hand on Steve's shoulder.

"You better do what she says," Billy told him, as Steve reluctantly pulled away.

"I thought we were going to get round two with you and Harrington for a second there, Krystal" Tommy H. teased, placing his arm around her shoulders, as Steve walked away.

In response, Krystal elbowed him in the stomach, as he stumbled back. Without turning around, Krystal raised her middle finger in the air and walked towards the kitchen to get another drink. She could hear Billy cheering her on as she went and couldn't help but smile.

* * *

By the time midnight came around, Krystal was well and truly drunk. She had hopped onto the counter in the kitchen, in an attempt to stop the room spinning, but it didn't help. Just as she was about to bring her cup filled with alcohol to her lips, it was taken away from her hand. Krystal was surprised when she saw who was in front of her.

"What do you want?" She asked Steve, who was looking at her with a concerned expression.

"You've had enough" Steve stated, as she tried to grab her drink.

"You're not the boss of me, Steve" She scoffed, as he kept her drink at arm's length.

"What happened to the three-drink maximum at high school parties?" Steve inquired.

"I decided a three-drink minimum was much more fun" Krystal laughed drunkenly, as she tried to grab the drink again, but fell off the counter this time.

Luckily, Steve was able to catch her in time, his arm going around her waist and helping her stand upright. While he was distracted, she grabbed the drink from his other hand and downed it immediately. Throwing the drink behind her, she let out a cheer, as even Steve had to laugh at the ridiculousness of her behaviour. The pair's interaction had caught Billy's attention, who currently had a pretty blonde on his lap. He watched as Steve kept his arm around Krystal's waist, and begun to wonder yet again whether the pair had been more than friends. He suddenly stood up, almost throwing the blonde to the ground as he did so, who let out an annoyed cry. He insisted to himself that it was only because it was Steve with her that he was angry. Even though he had already told three guys that night to back off when they approached her. But that wasn't the point. The point was…he was too drunk to remember, but Steve had to go.

"So, are you talking to me now?" Steve questioned, as Krystal stared into his brown eyes, finding herself zoning out.

"No…" Krystal shook her head, letting out a drunken laugh when she realised the irony.

"Look, can we talk in private? We've never talked about…what you said last month" Steve exclaimed.

"In private? I'm not that kind of girl, Stevie" Krystal giggled, as Steve shook his head, fondly.

"C'mon, I'll bring these chips with me" Steve suggested, grabbing a packet and waving it around.

"Ooo, deal" Krystal grinned, grabbing the packet as she followed him.

He led her towards a quiet corridor not far away, and leaned against the wall, as she started eating the chips happily. Billy was close behind them but came to a halt when he heard what they were talking about.

"Do you remember what you said when we had that fight at school?" Steve asked.

"Uh…that you were a dick" Krystal laughed to herself.

"Anything else?" Steve insisted.

"That you didn't care about me, that you only cared about Nancy…oh, and that…that I loved you…" Krystal trailed off, as she stopped eating.

Billy, who was still hiding behind the corner, frowned at this confession. Steve seemed like such an idiot that he couldn't understand why Krystal would be friends with him, let alone love him.

"Yeah, that" Steve nodded, with a sigh.

"You don't have anything else to say?" Krystal inquired.

"Krystal…I'm with Nancy" Steve replied.

"My ex-best friend…yeah, I remember" Krystal stated, starting to feel much soberer.

"Why didn't you tell me sooner?" Steve sighed.

"I'm sorry that me loving you is so…so inconvenient" Krystal scoffed.

"I didn't mean it like that. Look, if I knew how you felt…maybe something could have happened. I care about you, a lot. You're my best friend. But I love Nancy. I'm sorry-" Steve was cut off, as Krystal raised her hand up.

"You think all of this is why I hit you? Getting rejected…that's fine. Well, it's not fine, but I could deal with it. I…I turned up at school covered in cuts and bruises and you…you saw me! And you just looked the other way. You say I'm your best friend? Some fucking friend you are. I needed help. Where were you?!" Krystal cried, shoving him in the chest.

"I'm sorry. That's all I can say" Steve replied.

"You know what? I should thank you. You've really made falling out of love with you easy" Krystal spat out, as she turned to walk away.

"Krystal, wait!" Steve called after her, as she turned the corner.

She was surprised when she collided with a tanned chest and looked up to see Billy staring back at her. She realised from the look on his face that he had heard some of her conversation with Steve and waited for him to begin mocking her. With cutting words on his tongue, Billy was ready to do just that until he noticed her red-rimmed eyes. The utter look of rejection on her face that he knew so well. It suddenly hit him why he had wanted Krystal at the party, why he liked being around her. They were the same. Two kids rejected by their mothers who were too scared to open to anyone else in fear of the same thing happening. But Krystal had opened up to someone, and they had thrown it back in her face. A stray tear fell down Krystal's cheek, as she looked away from him. Before he could stop himself, he reached out and brushed away the tear with his thumb, surprising Krystal with the intimate gesture. Billy pulled away quickly when Steve came rushing around the corner, who seemed annoyed to see him there.

"Krystal, please. Let's just talk about this" Steve began, as she turned to look at him.

"I think I've done enough talking for tonight" Krystal retorted, as she went to walk away.

Steve stepped forward to follow her, but Billy immediately blocked his way, an angry look in his eyes.

"She said she doesn't want to talk to you" Billy insisted, squaring up to Steve.

"This is none of your business, man" Steve scoffed.

"She's my step-sister. So yeah, it is my business" Billy stated.

"You've sure been checking her out a lot tonight to be acting brotherly now" Steve goaded, as Billy gritted his teeth.

Krystal wasn't expecting Billy to suddenly headbutt Steve, who had only been standing a few inches away from him. Steve stumbled backwards, as Billy began hurling punches, most of which hit their target. Everyone began to crowd around them, most of the boys cheering on the fight. Steve managed to duck and avoid one of Billy's punches, and lunged at him, throwing him into the wall.

"Stop! Both of you stop it!" Krystal cried.

They didn't listen to her, as Billy grabbed what appeared to be an expensive vase and slammed it down onto Steve's head. This allowed Billy to get the upper hand once again, as he twisted them around and shoved Steve against the wall.

"Billy!" Krystal exclaimed, her hand grabbing Billy's arm.

"You can stop" Krystal insisted, as he turned to look at her.

Billy let go of Steve, who dropped to the ground, with a thump. Krystal grimaced as she could see the cuts and bruises already littering his face.

"Steve!" Nancy gasped, as she pushed through the crowd.

She was by his side in an instant, helping him to stand upright. Krystal looked away with a guilty look on her face, as Tina approached them.

"What the hell?! That was my mum's vase! Get out. All of you. Now!" Tina announced, pointing towards the door.

Needing no more persuasion, Nancy began helping Steve towards the door, his arm slung over her shoulder.

"Your party was shit anyways" Billy smirked, as he shoved past Tina, grabbing a bottle of vodka on his way out.

Krystal quickly began to rush after him, hating the feel of everyone's eyes on her. The night couldn't have gone much worse.

* * *

"What do you think you're doing?" Krystal asked when she saw Billy walk towards his car.

It had taken Billy almost twenty minutes to finally find his car, and half the bottle of vodka had already been drunk.

"Driving us home obviously" He mumbled, as he opened the car door and flopped into the seat.

"Really?" Krystal went on.

"Yep," Billy replied, as he began fumbling for his keys in his pockets.

"Billy…the driver's seat is the other side" Krystal pointed out, as Billy realised, he was in the passenger's seat.

"Oh…" Billy trailed off, still looking for his keys.

"Looking for these?" Krystal guessed, ushering towards his keys which were still in the door.

"…Maybe I won't drive us home" Billy nodded, as he got out of the car.

Krystal nodded, as she took the bottle of vodka from Billy's hands and began to down the vodka. Billy watched in amazement as she continued to chug the drink, throwing her head back. Eventually, her throat began to burn too much, as she pulled the bottle away from her lips, only a small amount of the vodka remaining. Krystal smirked at Billy's look of awe.

"You would have liked me back in the day," She told him, as they started walking.

"You're not so bad now" Billy shrugged, his hands in his pockets.

"Aw, I think that's the nicest thing you've ever said to me" Krystal giggled, nudging him with her elbow.

"Yeah well, you're still a freak" Billy added.

"And your still an asshole" She replied, as they began to laugh.

"Still I lived up to my promise and more" Billy announced, as Krystal gave him a questioning look.

"Of throwing my drink over Harrington. I one-upped myself…it was a vase instead" Billy grinned, as Krystal shook her head.

"You're so mean. His face is going to be all bruised…it's too pretty for bruises" Krystal pouted, the alcohol beginning to hit her.

"He deserved it" Billy mumbled.

"He didn't do anything wrong" Krystal shrugged.

"He hurt you. He sucks" Billy frowned.

"He shouldn't have been able to" She grumbled, kicking a nearby rock, and almost tripping over her own feet as did so.

"You shouldn't ignore Max," Billy told her, as she stopped in her tracks.

"I…I don't…it's not like that" Krystal stuttered.

"You're scared about opening up to someone else. It's obvious" Billy explained.

"It's not obvious to anyone else" Krystal pointed out.

"Yeah well…I kind of get it" Billy mumbled, as she gave him a strange look.

"You're almost nice when your drunk…it's…odd" Krystal informed him.

"Pft, I'm not nice" Billy shook his head.

"Don't worry, it can be our little secret…shh" Krystal giggled, putting her finger to her lips.

* * *

It was almost an hour later when they finally arrived back home. Both the teenagers were exhausted and couldn't wait to get into their beds, but they knew they couldn't go through the front door. If Billy's dad heard them coming home at two in the morning, they'd both be in trouble, but Billy would be the one with bruises on his face. Luckily, Krystal had left her bedroom window open, so they sneaked around to the back of the house. She pushed up her small window as high as it would go and tried to push herself up. However, in her half-drunk state, she didn't have the coordination to walk in a straight line, let alone push herself through a window. With a roll of his eyes, Billy grabbed her waist, as she let out a cry and tried to bat his hands away.

"I'm just trying to help" He stated, as he tried to push her up.

With his assistance, she was able to haul half her body through the open window, but the moment he let go of her, she fell inside with a large bang. Billy's eyes grew wide, as he quickly jumped up and crawled through the window, finding Krystal on her back.

"Hey, are you okay?" Billy whispered as he crouched down beside her.

She nodded, as he held out his hand and helped pull her up. As Krystal rubbed her sore head, Billy prayed that no one had heard the loud sound. After a few seconds, he guessed they were safe, as Krystal dropped her head onto his shoulder.

"I'm sleepy" She mumbled.

"You can't sleep on me" Billy insisted.

"Why not? You're comfy" She argued, childishly.

With a shake of his head, he placed his left arm around her back and his other arm underneath her thigh. Billy picked her up with ease, as her head lolled against his chest. He placed her down on the bed and realised that she needed to take her costume off. He guessed Max had covered for the pair, otherwise, his dad would still be up and waiting to ask him why he had gone to a party and not looked after his little sister. Billy made quick work on unzipping Krystal's boots, pulling them down her smooth legs.

"Krystal. I need to take your corset off" Billy whispered, as he helped her into a sitting position.

"Okie dokie" She smiled, trustingly, as she began to try to untie the corset.

Billy couldn't help but laugh as Krystal fumbled with the strings, clearly having a hard time seeing what she was doing. Brushing her hands away, he quickly untied the black string, which was difficult as he was trying his hardest not to stare at her chest. Once he was done, she pulled the corset away, having a simple white shirt on underneath, much to Billy's relief.

"We need to take your makeup off too. It's all smudged" He told her.

There are some wipes on top of my drawers" She yawned, as he leaned over and grabbed them.

It didn't take him long to realise he would have to do it, as when Krystal tried to wipe her makeup off, she missed her face completely. With a sigh, he started to wipe away her smudged makeup, realising he had never seen her without any makeup on. He frowned when he noticed a white line across her cheek that looked like a scar.

"When did this happen?" He queried, brushing the scar with his thumb.

He shook his head fondly when he realised that she had fallen asleep, only sitting upright due to his other hand holding her up. Deciding he had done enough, he helped lower her back down. Sitting up from her bed, he walked towards the door, but stopped as he reached out for the knob. He looked over to her open window, and the duvet that was crumbled at the bottom of her bed. With a sigh, he quietly shut the window, returning to her bed and pulling the covers over her, to stop her from getting cold.

"Night Krystal" He whispered, as he turned around

"Night Billy" She mumbled, sleepily, as Billy's lips twitched into a smile.


	5. Hangovers and Swimming

Krystal's eyes fluttered open, as her head began to pound from all the alcohol she had drunk early that morning. She brought her arm up to cover her eyes from the glare of the sun and began to recall the events of the party. Billy meeting Steve, her awkward love confession to him and then…things got blurry at that point. She looked down and saw that most of her costume had been removed, just leaving her in a white shirt and red skirt. She rolled out of bed and frowned when she looked in the mirror and found even her makeup had been removed. Krystal was distracted when she registered how dry her throat was and slowly stumbled towards the door, finding her vision was still blurry. As she quietly made her way into the kitchen, she saw it had just gone eight in the morning…which mean she was going to be late for school.

"Shit" She mumbled, knowing she could get in trouble as she had already missed a few lessons since she went back to school.

"You look terrible" A voice announced, as Krystal grabbed a glass from the cupboard.

She turned around and found it was only Max, much to her relief. Krystal knew it was true. Less than six hours ago she had still been drinking, meaning the alcohol was still most definitely in her system.

"I feel terrible" Krystal grumbled, filling up the glass with water.

"Where did you go last night?" Max inquired, seeing how far she could get with talking to her sister.

"High school party" Krystal replied, as she proceeded to down the entire glass in a matter of seconds.

"Oh…did you have fun?" Max queried.

"Take some advice from someone older…don't drink, Max. Just don't" Krystal groaned, as she flopped down on a seat at the kitchen table.

"Well, I covered for you last night. I told mum that we got in early and you went to bed because you weren't feeling well" Max explained.

"And she fell for it?" Krystal raised an eyebrow, as Max nodded.

"Did you have a good night?" Krystal asked, rubbing her eyes.

"It started well, but I came back early" Max shrugged.

"How come?" Krystal inquired.

"The boys I was with were weird," Max told her.

"Boys are like that" Krystal yawned, as she dropped her head onto the table, feeling exhausted.

"You know this is probably the most you've said to me in years" Max couldn't help but say.

"I'm a chatty drunk" Krystal mumbled; her voice muffled by the table.

Krystal was already beginning to fall asleep when she heard a noise from behind her and suddenly a voice boomed near her ear.

"Wakey, wakey sunshine" Billy shouted, as she shoved him back.

"Ugh, not so loud" Krystal pouted, as Billy grinned at her smugly.

"When did you get in last night?" Max frowned, having expected Billy to stay over at some girl's house.

"I'm surprised you don't know…didn't you hear her falling on her ass this morning?" Billy stated as he put some toast on.

"Wait…you went to the same party?" Max questioned.

"And I completely regret it" Krystal stated, sitting upright and resting her face on her hands.

"How are you not as hungover as I am?" Krystal grumbled, seeing how awake Billy seemed.

"Because I'm not a lightweight" Billy teased.

"You came back together too?" Max inquired.

"We got kicked out" Billy shrugged, as his toast popped up.

"Wait, what-" Krystal was cut off as Billy shoved a piece of toast in her mouth.

"You need to sober up before my dad wakes up" Billy informed her, as she rolled her eyes but began to take a bite.

"Mum and Neil had a fight last night. He went to work early" Max announced, as Krystal could see Billy's shoulders sag in relief.

"What were they arguing about?" Krystal asked.

"I don't know" Max shrugged, as she picked up her backpack.

"Well, I'm going to school. Maybe you should drink more often…you're much more fun" Max told her.

"Yeah, and less of a bitch" Billy mumbled, as Krystal kicked him in the shin.

Max let out a small laugh as she walked towards the door, turning around as she saw Billy had turned the radio on at fall blast, much to Krystal's annoyance. As she closed the door, she saw her sister jumping up to try to reach the radio which Billy was holding above her head. It was weird seeing them getting on so well, but a good weird, Max decided.

"So, why did we get chucked out of Tina's party?" Krystal inquired, once she had finally grabbed the radio from Billy.

"We broke some vase of hers" Billy shrugged, taking a bite of his own toast.

"We?" Krystal retorted, raising an eyebrow.

"I threw it at Harrington's head" Billy clarified.

"What?!" Krystal gaped.

"You really don't remember?" Billy scoffed.

"No! Why were you fighting?" Krystal frowned.

"I don't need an excuse to beat up a prick like that" Billy told her, deciding not to mention it was because of her.

"He's gonna hate me now" Krystal groaned, banging her head against the wall, comically.

"Jesus, you really do have it bad for King Steve, don't you?" Billy teased, as her eyes widened.

"Oh yeah…I know about that. How you told him you loved him, and he flat out rejected you" Billy went on, when she didn't reply.

"Ugh, I'm never getting drunk again" She pouted, as she flopped down dramatically on the couch.

"Don't worry, you didn't blurt it out to the whole party. Just to me" Billy informed her, as he joined her on the couch.

He lifted her legs up and sat down near her, laying her legs over his lap. It seemed an innocent enough gesture, but Krystal suddenly became aware of the fact that she was only wearing a short red skirt. And for some reason Billy still had his hands holding onto her legs.

"If you tell anyone-" She began, but he cut her off.

"I'm dead?" Billy suggested.

"You guessed it," She said, giving him a mocking smile.

"Aren't you going into school today?" Billy questioned when Krystal laid her head on the arm of the couch.

"I'd rather not go in at all than late and drunk" Krystal scoffed.

"Well you better be out when my dad gets home later otherwise you'll end up with more bruises" Billy informed her, as he began tracing his finger over a large bruise on her shin.

He guessed she had got it from falling through her window early that morning. The dark bruise stood out against her pale skin, as he felt goosebumps begin to appear underneath his fingertips. It all started to feel far too intimate for Krystal, who pulled her legs away, twisting herself up into a sitting position.

"Are you going to school?" She inquired

"I think I better let things cool off. Tina looked ready to throw me out with the trash last night" Billy told her.

"Are you really scared of a seventeen-year-old girl?" Krystal teased.

"It's tactics. I'll turn up at school tomorrow, give her a bunch of flowers and be making out with her in the back of my car by third period" Billy explained.

"How romantic" Krystal scoffed.

"At least I'm not pining after a prick like Harrington" Billy retorted, feeling a sliver of guilt at his words when he saw hurt flash over her face.

Why the hell do I keep bringing it up, Billy groaned to himself. Instantly, Krystal's mask was back on, and for a moment Billy was worried she would go back to be her mute self. It was strange to think how in only a few days he had gone from hating her to actually having fun with her. He was brought out of his thoughts as she threw a pillow at his head, which he easily caught, thanks to his fast reflexes. Krystal began to zone out after that, as she stared at the photos around the living room. None were of Krystal. It's not like her mother would have any of her as she had seen so little of her in the past few years, but it still stung. She realised there was only one of Billy. He was on the beach, shirt off as per usual, and a surfboard under his arm. He looked begrudgingly happy as he stood next to Max who was in a colourful swimming costume. Billy must have really loved the beach, she thought to herself.

"Where's your surfboard?" She blurted out.

"Huh?" Billy frowned, confused.

"You had a surfboard when I came to California. You always had it with you" She went on.

"My mum gave it to me when I was younger" Billy admitted.

"Did it get left behind?" Krystal inquired, knowing they had to pack up very quickly.

"My dad broke it" Billy shrugged, dismissively.

Krystal cringed at the imagery of Billy's father destroying one of the only things he had to remember his mum by.

"Why'd he break it?" She couldn't help but push further.

"I told him I didn't want to come here. He got pissed, I answered back. My surfboard got snapped in half" Billy told her, as she bit her lip.

Krystal wondered if that was partly the reason why he had hated her so much when they first moved to Hawkins. She had screwed things up for Billy and her mother by turning up in California.

"Your dad is such a dick" Krystal grumbled, as Billy huffed out a laugh.

"I know" Billy stated, leaning forward so his arms were resting on his knees.

"You wanna' go for a drive?" Krystal questioned, as Billy turned towards her.

"Do you mean will I drive you somewhere?" Billy snorted.

"C'mon, I know a place. You'll like it. Promise" Krystal announced as she stood up from the couch, feeling dizzy suddenly.

"You really can't handle your drink, can you?" Billy chuckled, as he watched her sway.

"Rude…maybe I won't invite you along" Krystal huffed, as she walked away from the couch.

"Pft, how do you think you'll be getting there then?" Billy retorted.

"…With these!" Krystal exclaimed as she grabbed Billy's keys from her leather jacket on the back of the couch.

"Hey, come back here!" Billy yelled after her, laughing as he did so.

* * *

Billy turned to Krystal as she pointed in the direction of another dirt road and wondered where she was taking him. She had a mischievous smile on her face, as her hair fluttered past her cheeks in the wind. She looked so carefree, which was completely different from how she usually acted. But she wasn't the only one. Billy couldn't remember the last time he had laughed so much as he had the past few days. As he looked back at the road, he thought to himself how it wouldn't last. Krystal would sober up completely soon enough and stop talking to him. He didn't get close to people for a reason. People always let you down.

"Don't look so worried. I'm not leading you to the middle of nowhere just to kill you" Krystal told him, bringing him out of his thoughts.

"Well, that hadn't crossed my mind…until right now" Billy huffed, seeing the dirt trail was getting narrower.

Krystal rested her head on the car window, turning to look at Billy. Her attention was drawn to his eyelashes of all things. How was it possible for someone to have attractive eyelashes? Billy's lashes were long and dark, contrasting sharply to his deep blue eyes, that were currently looking back at her.

"What?" Billy inquired when he saw her staring.

"I'm sorry" Krystal announced.

"Huh?" Billy frowned, looking back to the road.

"That your dad broke your surfboard. If it wasn't for me, you guys wouldn't have had that argument" Krystal explained.

"Forget about it, I have" Billy shrugged.

"No, you haven't" Krystal retorted, knowing that was at least part of the reason why he had acted the way he had towards her.

Before Billy could reply, he had to press the brakes as he realised, they had come to the end of the dirt road. All that lay ahead of them were trees.

"You want to take me on a hike?" Billy guessed as Krystal opened her door, excitedly.

"You'll see" She grinned, as she hopped out of the car.

With a roll of his eyes, Billy began to follow her through the treeline, confused to why she had brought him there. After ten minutes, he was ready to head back, when Krystal ducked underneath a fallen tree and begun to rush forward. Billy followed her into a clearing, as it took his eyes a moment to adjust to the light pouring through the trees.

"So, not bad for some stupid hick town, huh?" Krystal smirked, as she saw his look of awe.

In front of them was a beautiful rushing waterfall, that spilt out into a large lake, with the clearest water Billy had ever seen. The lake was completely enclosed by trees on all sides, the bright green colours reflecting on the water's surface. There was a small boat lying near the edge of the lake, next to a wooden jetty that ran halfway into the lake.

"It might not be the beach, but this is the closest thing you're going to get in Hawkins" Krystal informed him.

"Why is there no one here?" Billy inquired, as the only sound he could hear was the rushing of the water.

"No one knows about it. Me and my dad used to go hiking when I was younger and one day we just stumbled into this place. We came here practically every day after school, and I'd help him build that jetty…" Krystal trailed off.

Billy could guess the reason why they never finished making the jetty from the sudden sad expression on Krystal's face. Billy's chest felt warm at the fact that Krystal was sharing a secret location that only she and her father knew about. No one ever told him secrets. In fact, no one ever really talked to him.

"My mum took me to surfing competitions when I was younger. And even after she left, I kept surfing…I guess I didn't want to disappoint her if she came back…it's stupid" Billy shrugged.

"I stole my mum's makeup the day she left me with my dad. I used it for like five years. It was pretty gross by the end. We all do stupid things" Krystal admitted, with a giggle.

She was quickly distracted when Billy began stripping off his shirt, as she let her gazed over his chiselled chest. She felt a blush on her face when her eyes lingered on the dark trail of hair just above his jeans, as she looked away. Billy seemed to catch her looking and couldn't keep the smirk off his face.

"What are you doing?" She asked, her brain short-circuiting as he began to unbuckle his belt.

"I'm going for a swim. That's what we're here to do right?" Billy replied.

"We didn't bring bathing suits" Krystal pointed out, as he kicked off his shoes.

"I wasn't suggesting skinny dipping…unless you want to" He smirked, as she rolled her eyes.

"Are you just going to stand there and enjoy the show or take your clothes off?" Billy inquired, pulling the zipper of his jeans down.

As Billy shimmed out of his jeans, throwing them against a nearby log, he could practically feel Krystal checking him out. The morning was taking an interesting turn, he thought to himself with a smirk.

Krystal knew Billy was enjoying making her squirm, which was clear from the blush on her cheeks and the way she was staring. Deciding to give him a taste of his own medicine, she pulled her shirt over her head and saw the grin fall from his face. Billy's eyes widened as she pulled down her red skirt, leaving her in just her underwear as well. She was far curvier than he had been expecting. Krystal's stomach and hips were rounder than most girls he had seen with their clothes off. His eyes lingered on her breasts, which were complemented by the red bra she wore. He decided there and then that he had a thing for curvy girls.

"My eyes are up here," She told him, seeing his gaze was firmly directed at her cleavage.

For once Billy couldn't think of a clever retort and decided to make his way into the lake. He needed something cold to stop the growing problem he had in his boxers.

"Jesus, it's cold" Billy hissed after he had half his body submerged in the water.

"Don't be so dramatic" Krystal rolled her eyes, as she swam out further.

"It's freezing" Billy insisted.

"Well, there is one way to warm up…" Krystal trailed off, with a smirk.

"Oh, yeah?" Billy flirted, as he swam near her.

His brain almost short-circuited a moment later, when he realised, he was flirting with his stepsister. Krystal, who was the whole reason he had to come to the town he hated and was a complete weirdo. Yet, he had enjoyed the past couple of days more than he had the whole past year of his life.

"Like this!" She exclaimed as she splashed him with water, completely soaking his hair.

"Oh, you gonna' pay for that" Billy announced, using both his arms to splash her.

"You're going to have to catch me first" Krystal giggled, as she swam further out into the lake.

Billy began to swim after her and quickly caught up with her due to his more muscular frame. He grabbed her waist and pulled both of them underwater, as she twisted around, so they were facing each other. They were both laughing loudly as they burst through the surface, Billy's hands still around her waist. Krystal pulled her wet hair back, as it curled around her cheeks, which were beginning to hurt from smiling so much. Billy almost groaned inwardly, as he could no longer deny his attraction to her. She looked beautiful, the light reflecting off the water to illuminate her pale skin.

"You never told me how you got this last night," Billy told her, as he raised his hand to brush his thumb over the scar on her cheek.

"My foster mum" She shrugged, as he kept his hand there.

"She hit you a lot?" Billy guessed.

"Only when I breathed" Krystal joked, sadly.

Krystal began to feel embarrassed by the large scar, as she realised, she had no makeup on her face. She pulled away from Billy's hand, who looked confused.

"Did she do that the night before you came to California?" Billy pushed further.

"No…a month or two before. She usually hit me in places people wouldn't see in case social services turned up, but she got really pissed at me one night. And I answered back. Next thing I know she was throwing a glass at me…It missed but it shattered on the wall and a shard got stuck in my cheek. We had to go to the ER. Which only pissed her off more…" Krystal explained.

"Didn't your foster dad try to stop her?" Billy frowned.

"He didn't care. He barely even acknowledged that I was there" Krystal mumbled, rubbing the scar self-consciously.

"I know it's ugly, okay?" Krystal grumbled, seeing he was still looking at her cheek.

"No, that's not…it's not ugly, Krystal" Billy shook his head.

"That's easy for you to say, Mr Flawless" Krystal huffed, as Billy let out a small laugh.

He turned around so his back was to her and lifted his wet hair from his neck. Krystal frowned as she saw marks covering the back of his neck, some clearly more recent than others.

"My dad knew that cigarette burns wouldn't be easy to explain. So, he'd do it somewhere people wouldn't see" Billy explained.

"Oh…" Krystal mumbled as he turned back to her.

"You think I'm ugly?" Billy questioned.

"No" She shook her head.

"Well, I don't think your ugly either" Billy told her, as her lips twitched into a smile.


	6. Roses

The two teenagers had only been home for just over ten minutes when they heard the door swing open, surprising them both. Billy instantly jumped up from the couch as he saw his father and Susan enter. Krystal stayed where she was, drying her hair with a towel, as she and Billy shared a worried look.

"What the hell are you two doing here?" Neil Hargrove questioned, slamming the front door shut, hard.

"I was just…we…" Billy stuttered, as his father marched towards him, an angry look on his face.

"It's not even been a week and your playing hooky, you ungrateful shit?" Neil growled, shoving his son roughly.

"It's my fault. I wasn't feeling well this morning and Billy offered to look after me" Krystal announced, standing up.

"Yeah, she…she was throwing up all morning" Billy added, looking uncharacteristically nervous.

"You look fine now" Neil stated, suspiciously.

"Yeah, I do feel better. I slept most of the morning" Krystal replied.

"My poor girl. You should have called me at work" Susan insisted, walking over to her daughter, and brushing some hair from her face.

"Like I said. I feel better now" Krystal retorted, flinching away from her touch.

"It's only 1 pm now, you've still got lessons. So, get going" Neil ordered Billy.

"But-" Billy began but stopped himself when Neil raised a finger near his face.

"Don't answer back, boy. Go" Neil told him, pointing towards the door.

"You should stay off school, Krystal. I can make you that soup you always liked as a child" Susan offered, as Billy walked over to pick up his denim jacket.

"I'm fine really. I shouldn't miss anymore school" Krystal explained, as she went to stand next to Billy.

"Go on then" Neil dismissed, as the pair quickly began to rush towards the front door.

"Bye honey…" Susan trailed off, as Krystal slammed the door shut before she could finish her sentence.

Neither of them said anything as they walked over to the car, still expecting Billy's father to come running out of the house and beat them both to a pulp. Billy let out an audible sigh of relief once he got into his car and shut the door.

"Jesus, I thought we were dead meat back there" Krystal mumbled.

"Shit, what were they doing back so early?" Billy questioned, as he placed his hands on the steering wheel.

"My mum finishes work about this time…I guess he's picking her up now" Krystal bit her lip, recognising Neil's controlling behaviour.

"Billy?" Krystal questioned when she saw Billy's hands were shaking on the steering wheel.

"I need to go to the store. Pick up some flowers for Tina" Billy announced, as he started the car and began reversing out of the driveway.

* * *

"Good choice" Krystal smirked, as Billy opened the car door and she saw the bouquet of roses in his hand.

"They cost $35" Billy grumbled, as he threw the flowers into the backseat.

"Tina would accept nothing less. She always wants to be the centre of attention" Krystal explained, as she poured her purchases onto her lap.

"You know you're only going to school, not the runway" Billy scoffed, as he saw all the makeup she had bought.

"I may have lost my popular girl status a long time ago, but I'm not about to commit social suicide by turning up to school with no makeup" Krystal retorted, as she began applying mascara.

"Speaking of which…what's our next step?" Billy inquired.

"Our next step?" Karmen frowned, especially at the word 'our'.

"To throw King Steve off his throne and put me there instead" Billy clarified.

"You know you could probably become King of the school without pushing Steve off his pedestal" Krystal explained.

"Now, where would be the fun in that?" Billy smirked, as Krystal shook her head, fondly.

"He plays basketball most days after school, you get on the team, win over all his jock buddies and you'll be halfway there" Krystal informed him.

"Piece of cake" Billy mumbled, as he pulled out a cigarette from his jean's pocket.

"Oh yeah, because you're so easy to get on with" Krystal scoffed.

"I've won you over, haven't I?" Billy suggested as he lit the cigarette.

"I still haven't decided" Krystal responded, playfully, as she put on a barely there layer of lipstick.

Billy turned the engine on, as he could see Krystal was done with her makeup. He raised the cigarette to his lips and took a puff, his heart still racing from almost getting caught by his father earlier. He imagined he would have ended up with more than a few bruises if Krystal hadn't stepped in.

"What?" Krystal inquired when she saw he was staring at her.

In response, Billy raised his hand to brush his thumb across her bottom lip, brushing away the thin layer of lipstick. Krystal frowned as he did the same to her upper lip and noticed how his eyes refused to meet her own.

"You don't need it…the lipstick…" Billy trailed off, as he pulled away and placed his hands on the steering wheel, as he pulled out of the parking space.

Krystal did her best to calm her reddening cheeks, as she tried to decipher his actions. How did he go from hating her to touching her so gently in a few days?

* * *

Krystal's mind was still on her strange encounter with Billy when the locker next to hers was ripped open, dragging her back to reality. She and Steve had managed to get lockers next to each other ever since they started high school, so she knew exactly who was hiding behind their locker.

"Steve?" She questioned, as she saw his bruised knuckles clenched on the locker door.

"Look, I'm sorry about last night. I know you and Billy fought but…holy shit…" Krystal trailed off, as Steve closed his locker door so she could see his face.

He was covered in numerous cuts and bruises, not to mention a black eye that was forming. He had an especially nasty cut on his forehead, that Krystal expected was from the vase Billy had hit him with.

"Yeah, you should have seen my mum's face this morning" Steve huffed.

"Jesus, Steve. I didn't realise he'd hurt you so bad. Are you okay?" Krystal inquired.

"Are you sure you care?" Steve retorted.

"I'm trying to apologise to you, asshole. Let me" Krystal insisted, as Steve laughed, clutching his ribs as he did so.

"It's not as bad as it looks" Steve shrugged.

"Still, I'm sorry. I'll talk to Billy after school. Maybe even get him to apologise to you?" Krystal suggested.

"Yeah right" Steve scoffed.

"Okay, that probably won't be happen. In fact, it definitely won't" Krystal snorted, as Steve gave her an amused smile.

Meanwhile, Billy was on a mission of his own, as he leant against the locker next to Tina's, holding the roses close to his chest.

"Hey, beautiful" He greeted her, as she rolled her eyes in his direction.

"I know you're angry about last night but I'm here to make it up to you," Billy told her.

"With those cheap ass flowers? Please" Tina scoffed.

"C'mon, baby. I'll do anything…anything" Billy insisted, leaning in closer to her, his trademark grin on his lips.

"I'm going to have to pay for that vase out of my own allowance, Billy. That's like…three whole weeks!" Tina grumbled, as Billy inwardly groaned.

"Alright, I'm going to do something I don't usually do. Will you go on a date with me?" Billy asked as Tina frowned.

"I thought you said you don't do dating" Tina stated.

"I don't. That's how serious I am about you. C'mon, give me another chance" Billy went on, raising his arm above her head, so he could lean in even closer to her.

"Do I get to choose the date?" Tina smirked, as he nodded.

"You can pick me up at seven. We're going to the mall" Tina informed him, as the grin dropped from his face.

"The mall?" Billy queried, an irritated tone to his voice.

"And your going to buy me whatever I want…a lot more than those stupid roses," Tina told him, raising an eyebrow.

"Whatever you want, beautiful" Billy responded, pressing a kiss to her lips.

He grabbed her hips and twisted them around, so he was pressing her against the lockers, as he deepened the kiss, which caused a happy moan to come from her lips. Billy pulled away smugly, as he saw her lust-filled gaze and knew he had her right where he wanted her.

"See you at seven" Billy smirked, as he turned and began to walk away, the roses still in his hand.

As he rounded the next corner, he wiped his lips against his sleeve, noting that she was a slobbery kisser. He really didn't want to have to take an airhead like Tina to the mall that night, but if it meant he had a little more power over the school, he was willing to do it. Billy stopped in his tracks, as he noticed Krystal at her locker…in deep conversation with Steve. He gritted his teeth as he saw Steve place his hand on Krystal's shoulder, who looked uncomfortable at the action and flinched away from him. Billy remembered how she had reacted the same way to her mother's touch earlier that day. For some reason, she never seemed to do that with him. Shaking his head, Billy continued to walk through the corridor, going unnoticed by the pair.

"Sorry, I just…I miss you" Steve admitted, as he took his hand away from Krystal's shoulder, noticing her uncomfortable expression.

"It's not my fault we're not friends anymore, Steve" Krystal sighed, shutting her own locker.

"I know. It's mine" Steve nodded.

"Why did you drop me after what happened to my dad? Did you just not want to be around the depressed girl? Did you not care?" Krystal blurted out.

"It's not like that, I swear! I wanted to be there for you…but I just couldn't" Steve exclaimed.

"Seriously? That's the best you've got" Krystal huffed.

"I didn't want to put you in danger, Krystal. I did this for you" Steve told her, giving his best puppy dog eyes.

"Wow…you did this for me?! Billy was right. You are a prick" Krystal mumbled, as she shoved past him.  
Steve sighed as he watched her walk away, wishing he could tell her the real reason why he had avoided her. But he feared it would only make her hate him more.

* * *

Steve's day was going from bad to worse as Billy continued to complete thrash him at basketball. He was starting to think Krystal's stepbrother had some sort of vendetta against him.

"C'mon, King Steve. Is that the best you've got?" Billy mocked, as Steve kept the ball close to him, watching Billy's every move.

"Not really seeing as I can barely see out of my left eye" Steve gritted out, as Billy smirked.

"I've got to say Harrington, this whole look…I think it's an improvement" Billy stated, ushering to the bruises and cuts on Steve's face.

Without a second's thought, Steve rushed forward, hoping to catch Billy off guard, but he instead found himself with Billy behind him, with his arm going underneath his own to keep him in place.

"Would you just shut up and play the game?" Steve insisted as he tried to keep the ball out of Billy's hands.

"I am playing the game" Billy responded, enjoying the way he was making Steve sweat.

"Your lucky that I haven't told anyone you're the one who did this to my face…it'd get you expelled" Steve explained.

"And then you'd have to tell them how it happened at Tina's party, where there was underage drinking and God knows what…meaning you'll fall even further down the social ladder than you already have. No one likes a snitch" Billy explained.

"Jesus, why are you so obsessed with me, Hargrove?" Steve scoffed, twisting them around as Billy almost caught the ball.

"It's my stepsister that's obsessed with you. And you're going to stay away from her" Billy warned him.

"Really?" Steve scoffed.

"Really" Billy retorted, as he kicked Steve's legs out from under him, quicker than anyone could have seen, and began dribbling the ball away from him.

Steve looked up from where he was on his back and saw Billy get the ball through the net with ease. He flopped back against the floor, exhausted and fed up when a hand was suddenly thrust in his face. Steve looked up with a frown when he saw the hand belonged to Billy. Reluctantly, he accepted the hand as Billy pulled him up to face him, roughly.

"If I see you talking to Krystal again, you're going to regret it. Stay away" Billy ordered, as he shoved him back to the floor, hard.

Steve slowly sat upright, his muscles aching as he did so. He really didn't want to go for round two against Billy.

* * *

The game was over by the time Krystal entered the gym, as she noticed the courtside seats were far more full than usual. Once she spotted Billy, she could guess why. His broad, tanned chest was on show, his usual necklace hanging from his neck. Krystal unconsciously licked her lips, rubbing the back of her neck when she realised what she was doing. Billy's eyes met her own across the court, a grin growing on his face.

"Hey" He announced, as he walked towards her.

"Hey" She replied, a smile growing on her own face.

Her attention drifted as she noticed Steve walking past the pair, not sparing Krystal another glance.

"He hates me" Krystal mumbled, as Billy rolled his eyes.

"So? He's been treating you like shit for the last year, remember" Billy insisted, as she nodded.

"True…c'mon, we need to go pick up Max. We're already like twenty minutes late" Krystal stated.

"I've got to shower," Billy told her.

"Your dad's gonna be pissed if we get home late" Krystal pointed out, as Billy knew she was right.

"So, how'd things go with Tina?" Krystal inquired, as she followed him into the changing rooms.

"I've got a date with her tonight" Billy smirked, not thinking anything more needed to be said.

"A date? Already? Someone's keen" Krystal suggested.

"Jealous?" Billy replied, raising an eyebrow.

"I've already been Queen of this school once before…it's overrated" Krystal told him, not really answering the question.

"Well clearly you've still got some of your old moves. It's like you said she wants to feel the centre of attention…special. I made her think I really liked her by taking her on a date, which I never do" Billy explained, as he grabbed his duffel bag.

"Oh, so I'm going to be partly to blame when you break her little heart in a couple of weeks when she realises you don't give a shit?" Krystal guessed.

"Pretty much," Billy said, smugly, as he placed his bag over his shoulder.

"Are you not going to put a shirt on?" Krystal questioned.

"I don't want to deprive the high school girls of checking out the hottest guy at school," Billy told her, as she scoffed.

* * *

Krystal bit her lip as she saw the clock strike 6:30 pm and was thankful that her mother and Neil were still not home. She had found a note from them saying that they had gone to some sort of community meeting, as Neil was clearly trying to get in with the locals. Krystal wondered whether they'd be able to see through his innocent exterior and see the monster underneath. The reason why she was thankful they were still out was because Max had still not arrived home. When she was nowhere to be seen when Krystal and Billy went to pick her up, they had guessed she had already skated home. Krystal had immediately grown concerned when they found Max wasn't home either.

"She'll be fine" Billy announced, as Krystal turned around on the couch to the look at him.

Her response died in her mouth, as she looked at what he was wearing. She could tell he must have used half a can of hairspray to get his hair to curl so perfectly. His jeans looked even tighter than usual, not to mention his red shirt was barely buttoned. Realising that she hadn't said anything, she blurted out the first thing that came to mind.

"It smells like you've been marinated in cologne" Krystal teased.

"The ladies love it" Billy shrugged.

"I'm a lady, Billy" Krystal pointed out.

"And you definitely love it" Billy grinned, as he approached her.

"So where is this amazing date going to take place? Paris maybe?" Krystal inquired, as Billy placed his hands on the back of the couch, on either side her arms.

"The mall" Billy answered, with a sigh.

"Seriously? She is going to make you her bitch" Krystal laughed, loudly.

"I doubt that. I'm going to rock her world so hard tonight that she'll never even look at another guy again" Billy smirked.

"You better be careful walking out the front door…I don't think your head's going to fit" Krystal scoffed.

"Don't wait up" Billy stated, pushing himself away from the couch.

"She'll turn up, Krystal. She's probably just out with friends or something" Billy told her, as he stopped at the door.

"Yeah" Krystal nodded, gratefully.

* * *

It was just before nine when the front door finally opened to reveal Max, as Krystal was instantly on her feet. She crossed her arms and gave her sister an unimpressed look.

"I know, I know. I should have told you I was staying out-" Max begun, as Krystal cut her off.

"You know what this is, Max? It's a phone…people use it so their sisters don't spend the whole night worried!" Krystal exclaimed as she walked over to their landline.

"I just lost track of time" Max shrugged.

"That's not an excuse. What if something had happened to you?" Krystal pointed out.

"I'm not a little kid, Krystal. I can look after myself" Max rolled her eyes.

"You're thirteen, so no actually, you're still a kid" Krystal insisted.

"Does mom know I was missing?" Max inquired.

"No…she went out with Neil" Krystal answered.

"Figures" Max huffed.

"Who were you out with?" Krystal asked.

"Friends" Max mumbled.

"Jesus, you really are a teenager now, huh?" Krystal sighed.

"You were out all night yesterday; I didn't make a big fuss over that" Max stated.

"That's because I'm your older sister. Emphasis on the older" Krystal retorted.

"You know what, I take back what I said this morning. I miss when you were a mute" Max rolled her eyes.

"Max, I'm not trying to start a fight, but it's not safe to be out at this time of night. Hawkins is a dangerous place" Krystal explained.

"It's no more dangerous than California. Mom used to let me stay out late there" Max shrugged.

"No more dangerous? What about what happened to that Byers kid last year? Or my dad!" Krystal insisted.

"I know more about what happened to Will than you do…and your dad committed suicide, Krystal. I'm not about to blow my brains out, so no danger there" Max exclaimed, her eyes widening when she had finished.

Max cringed as she saw the hurt flash over Krystal's face before she instantly put her mask back on. Krystal turned on her heel and stormed towards her room, slamming the door shut so hard, Max was amazed it stayed on its hinges.

* * *

Late that night, Krystal was drinking from one of the bottles of vodka she knew Billy hid in his room, when the boy in question barged into her room, a grin on his face. Krystal flinched at the loud sound, looking away from Billy, as she placed the bottle back to her lips. Luckily, Neil and her mother were still not home, which Billy seemed to be aware of.

"I'm guessing the date went well" Krystal mumbled.

"She's not a great kisser, but her ass-" Billy began, but she cut him off.

"Woah, woah. Too much information" She complained as she felt the bed sink, as he sat next to her.

"What's up with you?" Billy inquired, noticing her red rimmed eyes.

"Nothing" Krystal shrugged.

"Did Max come home?" Billy queried.

"Yep," Krystal replied, as she took another swig of the drink.

"Hey, stop that. You're gonna' be hangover again tomorrow at this rate" Billy warned her, taking the bottle from her hand.

"Didn't you say I was less of a bitch drunk? And Max seems to like me more when I'm drunk too" Krystal sighed.

"Did that little shit say something to you?" Billy guessed.

"Don't call her that, Billy. She's just a kid. Doesn't know what she's saying" Krystal insisted, as Billy decided to drop it.

"C'mon, cheer up. If I become King of the school, I can probably get you reinstated as Queen" Billy said, nudging her.

"I don't care about that anymore" Krystal mumbled.

"Bullshit. Queen Krystal has a good ring to it, right?" Billy grinned, as Krystal shook her head, fondly.

"Maybe" She shrugged, as Billy suddenly placed something in her lap.

It was the roses that he had bought this morning. Krystal turned to look at him with a frown, confused as to why he was giving them to her.

"Tina didn't want them. And I kind of owe you for this morning" Billy exclaimed.

"You're being nice again…are you feeling okay?" Krystal teased, as Billy rolled his eyes.

"Well, I can take them back if you don't want them-" Billy suggested, placing his hand on the bouquet once more.

"No! No, I like them…thanks" Krystal smiled, grabbing his hand to stop him from taking them away.

Billy nodded in response, as he looked down at their hands, seeing that she still wasn't taking her hand away. Krystal felt a strange spark the moment she touched his hand and couldn't help but wonder if he had felt it too. She let go of his hand a moment later, as he quickly pushed himself up from her bed and left the room with an awkward expression. Krystal looked down to the roses that were still on her lap, with a genuine smile on her face. Maybe he wasn't so much of an asshole.


	7. The Truth About Benny

Krystal had woken up late with the beginning of a hangover just like Billy had warned her. She decided to skip breakfast, only brushing her teeth and rushing to put her clothes on. She knew that Billy would soon enough be banging on her door to hurry up. However, just as she was pulling her jeans over her hips, the door was ripped open, making her jump. Billy was standing in the doorway, his mouth open as if he was about to say something. Whatever it was must have died in his mouth the moment he saw Krystal standing there in only jeans and a bra. It reminded her of when she had taken him to the lake.

"Billy, what the hell?" She cried, as she grabbed her shirt and held it over her chest, where his eyes had been gazing for the last few seconds.

"I…uh, I didn't see anything. Not that there's nothing to see, because there is…not that I was looking…" Billy stuttered as Krystal gave him an amused look.

"Just hurry up, alright?" Billy exclaimed, as he turned on his heel and rushed out of the room.

"Close the door, asshole!" Krystal yelled, seeing as it was still left wide open.

Krystal rolled her eyes as he didn't turn around and only held his middle finger up in response. She slammed it shut, shaking her head as she did so. Krystal bit her lip as she thought about Billy's flustered reaction and decided it was a good look for him.

* * *

Billy's day had gone from bad to worse. First of all, he had his awkward encounter in the morning when he had burst on Krystal getting changed. He had been in desperate need of a cold shower but knew he couldn't be late for school again or his dad would kill him. The incident was followed by an even more awkward ride to school, as Billy, Krystal and Max all avoided looking at each other in the eye. The stepsiblings were all pissed. Billy had decided to relieve some of his frustration in the first period when he had dragged Tina to his car. The girl had been more than willing to have sex in his backseat, but things didn't go as planned. Billy had spent the rest of the morning searching for his angry lover, but she seemed to avoid him. Billy knew he needed to find Krystal before Tina did, or all hell could break loose. Much to his annoyance, Krystal had also disappeared. Not knowing who else to turn to, he made his way over to Hawkins Middle School and quickly spotted Max in the car park. She was skating and seemed to have picked up an admirer in a boy who looked to be the same age.

"Max!" Billy called over to her, as she jumped in shock and fell off her skateboard.

"Ow…" Max trailed off, as she pushed herself into a sitting position, rubbing her back.

"Shit, are you okay?" The boy asked as he crouched beside her.

"Yeah. I'm fine" Max nodded, as the boy held his hand out to her, which she gladly took.

"That was clumsy of you" Billy suggested, as he came to stop in front of the pair.

"What are you doing here?" Max frowned, as the boy pulled her upright.

"Looking for your sister…who's this?" Billy inquired, looking at the young boy up and down.

"Uh…I'm Lucas" The boy mumbled; his eyes wide.

"Well, Lucas. This is a family matter. So scram" Billy insisted, crossing his arms.

Lucas gulped under Billy's intense gaze, sparing a quick look at Max, before doing as he was told.

"Why was he talking to you?" Billy inquired.

"It was just about a stupid class assignment" Max replied, avoiding looking him in the eye.

"It better have been. Now, are you gonna' tell me where your sister is?" Billy insisted.

"I don't know" Max shrugged, as Billy rolled his neck, starting to get annoyed.

"I think she's playing hooky again, so where would she go?" Billy went on.

"Like I said, I don't know. We're not exactly close" Max scoffed.

Billy groaned at Max's unhelpfulness, it was too suspicious that Tina and Krystal had disappeared at the same time. He needed to get in front of any rumours.

"It is close to the anniversary…" Max trailed off, with a thoughtful look.

"What do you mean?" Billy frowned.

"The anniversary of her dad's death. It's in a few days. She might have gone to his diner" Max explained.

"Isn't that place shut down?" Billy stated.

"Krystal kept all of her dad's tools…maybe she's going to break-in? I can't think of anywhere else she'd want to go" Max went on, as Billy nodded.

"See? Was that so hard?" Billy mocked, as Max rolled her eyes, in a way that reminded him of Krystal.

"Why do you want to find her so bad?" Max couldn't help but ask.

"It's nothing for you to worry about, Maxine" Billy exclaimed, as he went to turn around.

"Bullshit" Max murmured, almost quiet enough that Billy didn't hear.

"What did you say?" Billy questioned, whipping his head back around.

"I'm not as blind as you think, that's all" Max shrugged.

"And what the hell is that supposed to mean?" Billy inquired, taking a step forward so that he could loom over her.

"I know you went into her bedroom last night…and you didn't come out for a while" Max went on, as Billy gritted his teeth.

"Nothing happened" Billy scoffed, not sure why he was so bothered.

"Then what were you doing?" Max insisted.

"Nothing! We were just…I don't know, talking…" Billy trailed off, irritated.

"Talking? Jesus, do you have a crush on her or something?" Max blurted out, her eyes going wide when she realised what she had said.

Billy shared her expression for a split second, before his face morphed into anger. He shoved her roughly, as Max fell onto her back again, catching the edge of her arm on her skateboard. She bit her lip to stop herself from crying, not wanting to give her stepbrother the satisfaction.

"You keep your goddamn mouth shut in future" Billy warned her, as he turned to storm off, ignoring the looks from the middle schoolers around him.

Billy's anger dissipated the further away from the scene he got, as guilt began to seep into him instead. He knew he should have checked that Max was okay, he should have realised how much stronger than her he was. Not to mention he had done it in the middle of a school park, where plenty of kids had seen. He'd been lucky if social workers weren't turning up at his house by the end of the week. Maybe that wouldn't be such a bad thing, he thought to himself. Why had he seen red so much when Max brought up the idea of Billy liking Krystal? It was crazy…right?

He was distracted when he spotted one of the girls he had been searching for. Tina was smoking around the back of the middle school, an angry look on her face, which became furious when she saw him.

"Leave me alone, Billy" She exclaimed, throwing her cigarette on the ground.

"Look, we need to talk about what happened this morning" Billy announced.

"Maybe you do, but I don't-" Tina began, but he cut her off by grabbing her arm.

"You can't tell anyone about what happened" Billy insisted, as she pulled her arm away from his grasp.

"How stupid do you think I am? Of course, I won't! Why would I tell anyone that while I was having sex with a guy, he called out another girl's name?" Tina scoffed.

"Not so loud!" Billy hissed, looking around them.

"Your secret's safe with me, okay? No one's going to find out you want to fuck Krystal from my lips" Tina mocked, enjoying the way she could make him squirm.

"That's not what…I just got distracted, alright?" Billy retorted.

"I seriously don't care. Just stay out of my way…freak!" Tina exclaimed as she shoved past him.

Billy grimaced at the name, thinking of how he had called Krystal a freak on numerous occasions. Maybe Tina was right…maybe he was a freak. Maybe they both were, Billy thought to himself.

* * *

"That's not going to work, you know!" Billy announced as he saw Krystal outside her father's diner, attempting to pick the lock on the front door.

"Jesus, Billy! You almost gave me a heart attack" She complained, having jumped out of her skin at the sound of his voice.

"They've probably reinforced the lock. Don't want any weirdo's trying to break in to gawk at the place" Billy explained, as he approached her.

"Then what do you suggest?" Krystal questioned, as Billy looked around their surroundings.

Billy saw a large rock near the bottom of one of the windows and picked it up, manoeuvring it in his palm. He then pulled his arm back and threw it through one of the diner windows, which shattered with a large bang.

"Okay, that'll work" Krystal nodded, a slightly impressed look on her face.

"C'mon, we better quick. They might still be patrolling around here, and I left my car just down the road" Billy explained.

"You can leave now. I'm fine" Krystal told him, taking off her jacket, which Billy expected was one of her father's.

She balled the jacket around her hand and used it to push any remaining glass out of the window frame. She turned around and raised an eyebrow when she saw Billy was still standing there.

"It's this or geometry" Billy shrugged, taking off his own denim jacket and placing it on the bottom of the doorframe so that they didn't cut themselves as they crawled through.

"Wow…this place is a shit hole" Billy murmured, as he climbed down from the window and into the diner.

The whole place was covered in dust and seemed to be falling apart. A part of the ceiling seemed to have caved in, as there was now a steady stream of water dripping on the floor. Some of the lights had fallen from the ceiling, leaving the diner covered in darkness. It looked like the perfect location for a horror movie.

"Well jeez, Billy, don't be afraid to say what you really think" Krystal teased, making him snigger lightly.

"How'd you know I was here?" Krystal inquired, a moment later, as she made her way over to the large counter.

"Max told me" He shrugged, following her.

"How'd your little rendezvous with Tina go this morning?" Krystal asked, as she hopped over the counter.

Billy was momentarily distracted by Krystal's ass, as she crawled onto all fours, before jumping down. He ran a hand through his hair, as he tried to get his brain to catch up to what she had been saying.

"You been spying on me again?" Billy suggested, climbing over the counter as well.

"You wish" Krystal scoffed, as she shoved open the kitchen door, which had grown stiff overtime.

"Are you looking for something?" Billy realised as Krystal began opening the drawers.

"A picture" Krystal stated, as she crouched down to check the lower drawers.

Once again Billy's eyes landed firmly on her ass, wondering if she had any idea how she was making him feel. Letting out a triumphant noise, she pulled something from the lowest drawer, and held it out. Billy wandered over as she stood back up, and he saw it was a picture of her with her dad. Benny was wearing a dirty looking apron, a spatula in one hand, with his other arm around his daughter. Krystal looked a little younger, her cheeks were less defined and her body a little skinnier.

"When was this taken?" Billy inquired, taking the picture into his own hands.

"My 15th birthday. My dad's cook called in sick to work, so he had to go in and I wanted to still spend the day with him. It was a very greasy birthday" Krystal chuckled at the memory.

"You look happy" Billy mumbled, as he turned to look at her.

The young girl in the picture didn't have the haunted eyes that Billy had come to associate Krystal with. It was clear his stepsister was haunted by something.

"I haven't been back here since…I didn't realise the place had gone to hell so bad" Krystal exclaimed, as she looked around.

"Can't this place get sold, get you some cash?" Billy suggested as Krystal shook her head.

"The police still say it's an active crime scene…" Krystal trailed off, as they heard a rattling from behind them.

The two teenagers cautiously began to approach the sink where the noise was coming from. Krystal slowly bent down and ripped the cupboard door open underneath the sink, as a large rat scurried away, making her squeal in fright.

"Ew!" She cried as she and Billy took a step back.

Billy grimaced as the rat ran out of the kitchen, when he suddenly registered Krystal's hand gripping onto his arm, which he had placed protectively in front of her. Since when did he instinctively want to protect her?

"I guess it's definitely an active scene for rats" Krystal stated, as Billy once again huffed out a laugh, surprising her a little.

"C'mon, we better go…" Billy trailed off, as he opened the kitchen door.

From a different angle, he realised he hadn't seen the blood on the floor earlier. The blood that he knew must have belonged to Krystal's father. She came to a halt beside him, noticing the speckles of blood near the door and the barely cleaned up puddle of blood not far away. Billy could feel her stiffen beside him, as tears began to well in her eyes. She quickly banished the tears, taking a deep breath and turned back around. He watched as she picked up a bucket from the floor and went over to the sink. Billy frowned as she filled the bucket up, grabbing a nearby rag and walked back over to him.

"What are you doing?" Billy questioned, dumbfounded.

"Cleaning it up" Krystal mumbled, walking past him and crouching on the ground.

Billy watched with a pained expression, as Krystal started trying to mop up her father's blood on the floor. It was going fine until she got to the puddle of blood, that no matter how hard she scrubbed, wouldn't budge.

"Krystal, it's not going to work" Billy sighed, as he kneeled beside her.

She shook her head, as she continued rubbing harder against the floor until she was practically just banging her hands against the surface.

"Krys!" Billy exclaimed as he placed his hand over hers, stopping her movements.

"It's my fault…" Krystal trailed off, her eyes still firmly on the blood in front of her.

"What do you mean?" Billy frowned, as she turned to him, as a tear fell down her cheek.

"My dad didn't commit suicide, Billy…He was murdered" She confessed, as he looked dumbfounded.

** _Flashback_ **

_"You know this is basically child labour, right?" Krystal rolled her eyes, as she continued scrubbing the dishes just as her father had asked her._

_"I pay you well" Benny scoffed, looking at through the hatch behind the counter._

_"You pay me in food" Krystal pouted._

_"I'm teaching you life skills" Benny stated, as Krystal began muttering under her breath._

_"What's this really about, honey?" Benny queried, knowing his daughter wasn't upset about having work._

_"Steve blew me off…again" Krystal admitted, as Benny shook his head with annoyance._

_"Do I need to have a word with this kid?" Benny suggested, making Krystal giggle._

_"Dad, your about as scary as a teddy bear" Krystal pointed out._

_"Well, no one hurts my little girl" Benny told her, reaching over and pinching her cheek._

_"That's child abuse" Krystal informed him, earning a chuckle in response._

_"How did I create such a smartass kid" Benny laughed, as he saw a customer was calling him over._

_"Look, Steve's obsession with Nancy will blow over, alright? And then you two can be best friends and braid each other's hair again, or whatever teenagers do these days" Benny explained._

_"Steve and I are actually apart of a gang. We specialise in assault and narcotics" Krystal replied, as Benny placed his hands over his ears._

_"Not listening" Benny mumbled, walking away._

_Krystal had been so distracted by her own laughter that she hadn't seen a small girl creep into the kitchen, grabbing a handful of fries. The girl had been too overzealous with her portions and ended up knocking the small fries' basket on the floor, alerting Krystal to her presence. Krystal let out a yelp as she spotted the young girl, who was wearing a hospital gown and had a buzzcut. She looked like a freak._

_"Who the hell are you?" Krystal gaped, as the girl's eyes darted towards the door._

_"Wait!" Krystal exclaimed as she rushed to the doorway before the girl could escape._

_She backed away into a corner, hugging her arms close to her, as she seemed to think Krystal was about to attack her._

_"Hey, it's okay. I'm not going to hurt you…and you're not going to hurt me, right?" Krystal questioned, as the girl shook her head._

_"Good. What are you doing here?" Krystal asked, seeing the girl's eyes looked towards the fries on the floor._

_"You're hungry, huh?" Krystal suggested as the girl nodded furiously._

_"You ever had chocolate pudding?" Krystal inquired, as the girl tilted her head._

* * *

_"So…what's your name?" Krystal questioned, as she watched the young girl shovel the chocolate pudding into her mouth. _

_"Hey, careful. You eat too much of that and you're going to get sick" Krystal warned her, making the girl frown._

_"You know…throw up?" Krystal went on, as she pretended to vomit, earning a small giggle from her new friend._

_"I've got to ask. What's with the hair?" Krystal queried, ushering to the girl's buzzcut hair, who shrugged in response._

_"Did someone hurt you?" Krystal asked, noticing her odd behaviour._

_She was surprised when the girl shook her head, seemingly offended that Krystal would think so. The girl was a complete mystery. She could see her dad calling someone in the kitchen, and was about to walk over to him when she noticed a strange tattoo on the girl's wrist._

_"Eleven…aren't you a little young for tattoos?" Krystal frowned, touching the girl's wrist, who flinched at the touch._

_"Did someone force you to get that? What does it mean?" Krystal insisted, as the girl stopped eating and stared at her blankly._

_"Alright, hold on a minute" Krystal announced, as she stood up and walked into the kitchen._

_The girl was staring at her with interest when she came back, with a large tub in her hands. _

_"You tell me what that tattoo is for, and you get some ice cream" Krystal offered, opening the tub and showing her the contents._

_"Eleven" The girl mumbled, pointing to herself._

_"Your name's Eleven?" Krystal asked as the girl nodded._

_"Okay…that's a bit of a weird name, but it actually kind of suits you. I'm Krystal" She smiled, as she pushed the tub over to Eleven._

_"I'm just gonna' go speak to my dad, you enjoy that," Krystal told her, as she stood up._

_"Papa?" Eleven questioned, pointing to Benny in the kitchen._

_"_Yeah_…he's my Papa" Krystal nodded, a hint of pride in her voice._

_"Friend?" Eleven asked, pointing to Krystal._

_"Yeah, we're friends now" Krystal smiled._

_She watched as Eleven then began tucking into the ice cream, a look of excitement on her face. Krystal walked into the kitchen and overheard the end of Benny's conversation on the phone, realising he had called social services._

_"Dad, I don't know if that was a good idea" Krystal bit her lip, as he hung up the phone._

_"They'll be able to help her. A lot better than we can" Benny suggested._

_"What if they're who's she's run away from? What if she's a kid in care?" Krystal pointed out, as Benny frowned, clearly having not thought of it._

_"Hey, don't worry. It'll be fine. We can go with her, make sure she's looked after, okay?" Benny told her, as she nodded._

_"You really like that ice cream, huh?" Benny laughed when he saw Eleven had almost finished the whole tub._

_Eleven grinned in response, making a smile grow on Krystal's own face. She seemed to feel much more comfortable with the pair._

_"Smile looks good on you," Benny told her, as Eleven frowned in confusion._

_"You know, smile?" Benny clarified, as he raised his arms out and gave her a crazy grin._

_"Oh, I think you mean a smile like this?" Krystal suggested as she stuck her fingers in her cheeks, giving Eleven a silly smile._

_The girl giggled again as the father and daughter's stupid antics, but quickly cut herself off when there was a loud bang on the door. Krystal watched as the girl jumped and looked at her with fear. _

_"It's okay. You just sit tight, I'll tell whoever it is to go away" Benny announced, as he started to walk out of the kitchen._

_"Wait, dad! We don't know what's going on with her, it could be dangerous" Krystal warned him, as she hurried after him._

_"It'll be okay, honey" Benny insisted, as he ruffled his daughter's hair lightly._

_"Just coming!" Benny called out, as the banging on the front door continued._

_Krystal watched as her dad opened the door to a blonde woman, who introduced as herself as being from social services. Krystal frowned when she noticed how insistent she was on seeing Eleven, and started to get a bad feeling about the whole thing._

_"Eleven, go into the back" Krystal whispered, as the girl nodded and walked towards the doorway._

_"Come on up. I'll introduce you" Benny told the blonde, as he let her through the doorway._

_"Thank you" She replied, looking around the restaurant._

_"Sorry again about trying to turn you away back there" Benny apologised, as he made his way towards the kitchen._

_"It's fine" The woman shook her head, as Krystal saw the woman's hands go to her bag._

_"You know, it's funny. Your voice sounds different on the-" Benny began but was cut off by Krystal's scream._

_"Dad!" Krystal cried when she saw the woman pull a gun out of her bag._

_Benny didn't even have the time to turn around to face her, as the blonde raised the gun and shot him. Krystal let out a bloodcurdling scream as she saw her father fall to the floor. Eleven quickly began to run into the back, clearly realising how bad things were about to get._

_"Dad?!" Krystal whimpered, seeing where his body had fallen, from where she was standing in the doorway._

_There was blood pouring from his head, already forming a puddle on the floor. He was dead. Krystal turned towards the blonde who had now turned to raise the gun at her. Krystal ducked just in time as a bullet ricocheted off the back wall. She grabbed a knife from on top of the counter and hid behind it. She peaked out from where she was hiding and came almost face to face with her father's dead body. His eyes were still open, staring into nothingness. Krystal turned back away, feeling tears welling in her eyes. She watched as the blonde stepped over her father's body like he was no more than trash. Letting out a yell, she sliced the back of the woman's ankle, who let out a loud scream. Krystal then dashed forward to hide under a nearby metal table as the woman took another shot at her. As soon as the blonde came into view, Krystal threw the metal knife at her, watching as it pierced her stomach. The woman let out a pained gasp, as she dropped the gun from her hand. Krystal pushed herself from out of her hiding place and came to face the woman. She tugged the blade out of the blonde's stomach, and stabbed her again, this time in the chest. The woman suddenly went very still and fell onto her knees, the knife still encased in her chest. Giving her no other thought, Krystal rushed over to her father, as tears began to fall down her cheek._

_"Dad…" Krystal whimpered, placing her hand on his shoulder and shook him._

_"Wake up. Please, wake up" Krystal sobbed._

_She heard a sound from outside and looked over the counter to see half a dozen cars had just arrived. Looking back down at her father, she knew she had to leave him._

_"I'm sorry" Krystal cried, as she pushed herself onto her feet and started to run._

** _End of Flashback_ **

"I should have saved him" Krystal sighed, after having recounted the memory to Billy.

At some point during her confession, they had moved back into the kitchen and were now sitting next to each other on the floor. Billy had been silent throughout Krystal's story, only raising his eyebrow at parts and looking sadder as she went on.

"Jesus, Krystal. I…I don't know what to say…" Billy trailed off.

"God, I shouldn't have told you. It's too dangerous to know" Krystal shook her head, pushing herself to her feet.

"No. You needed to tell someone. It was eating you up. Anyone could see that" Billy stated.

"Yeah, everyone except my mum" Krystal scoffed, sadly.

"Well, I don't think she thinks of much outside whether she needs to get her hair permed" Billy pointed out, as Krystal huffed out a laugh.

"You're wrong, you know," Billy told her, a moment later.

"About what?" Krystal frowned.

"It's not your fault" Billy insisted.

"I let that girl stay with us. I asked him to help her. I didn't stop him from opening that door when I knew it was dangerous-" Krystal ranted, as Billy stopped her by raising his hand out and placing it over her own.

"You were fifteen. There's nothing you could have done" Billy exclaimed, rubbing his thumb over the back of her hand in a comforting gesture.

"You're being nice again" Krystal stated.

"I'll try not to make a habit of it" Billy smiled lightly, as he took his hand away, finding it felt too intimate.


	8. Everyone Lies

Krystal reluctantly agreed to leave the diner soon after, knowing how much trouble they would get in if Billy's father knew they had ditched school again. As the pair carefully crawled out of the broken window to get out, they felt like something had shifted in their relationship. Billy understood Krystal more and she realised that there was a lot more to him than she first thought.

"You called me Krys back there" Krystal announced, as they started to walk to Billy's car.

"I don't think so" Billy shook his head, taking his keys out of his pocket.

"Oh right, because you don't do nicknames, Romeo?" Krystal scoffed, as Billy laughed lightly.

"Whatever you say, sweetcheeks" Billy grinned at her, who shared his expression.

The smile slowly faded from Krystal's face as she noticed a car had slowed down behind them, almost travelling at the same speed that they were walking. Her eyes widened when she saw two men in black coats standing near Billy's car, staring straight at them. Krystal felt her heart drop when the car that had been following them suddenly turned to pull up in front of them.

"What the hell, man?!" Billy yelled angrily, kicking the car aggressively.

"Billy, we need to go" Krystal announced, grabbing his arm.

"What?" Billy frowned, seeing that two other men had seemingly appeared out of nowhere and were rushing up behind them.

Krystal took a step back when the car door opened to reveal another man, who must have been over six foot. They were surrounded.

"I think you two better come with us," The man told them, as Krystal gulped.

"Like hell we are" Billy spat out, pushing Krystal behind him, in a protective gesture.

Krystal was too distracted by the men approaching them from behind to think too much about this new protective side of Billy. Her mouth went dry from fear as she saw one of them had a gun underneath their long black coats. Her mind instantly flashed back to her father's dead body on the floor in his diner. She wasn't going to let anyone get hurt because of her.

"Billy, don't. Look, I'll come with you. Just leave him out of this" Krystal exclaimed, as Billy frowned at her.

"We have orders to bring you both in" One of the men behind them informed her.

"He doesn't know anything" Krystal insisted.

"That's not for us to decide. Now are you going to come with us…or are we going to have to use force?" The man from the car questioned, clearly becoming irritated with the situation.

Krystal reluctantly nodded and went to take a step forward, knowing that there was no way they were going to win the fight. Billy grabbed her hand, as she saw a flash of fear on his face.

"We can't just go with them! What if they…" Billy trailed off, not wanting to finish that sentence.

"I don't think we've got a choice" Krystal pointed out, squeezing his hand, as she pulled him along with her.

* * *

"Hey assholes! Let us out of here!" Billy yelled at the security camera; in the room, they were being held.

All that was inside the room were two chairs and a table, all the same grey colour as the painted walls of the room. It was disturbingly clinical. Krystal couldn't help but wonder if it was the room they were both going to die in.

"I know you pricks can hear me! Goddamn cowards!" Billy yelled, kicking the chair nearest to him, as it tumbled over.

"Billy, stop antagonising them" Krystal groaned, from where she was resting her head on her hands.

"Have you met me?" Billy retorted as Krystal nodded thoughtfully, thinking about how he was probably the most antagonising person she had ever met.

"Fair point" Krystal mumbled, with an amused smile.

"How are you so calm about this?" Billy frowned, beginning to pace the room.

"If they were going to kill us they would have already…I think" Krystal suggested.

"Well now I feel so much better" Billy scoffed sarcastically.

"What was that all about earlier?" Billy inquired, a moment later, as Krystal frowned in confusion.

"You asked them to let me go" Billy clarified.

"I don't want anyone else's death on my conscience" Krystal explained.

"Benny wasn't your fault" Billy shook his head, coming to sit on the table.

"If I hadn't told him about Eleven, he'd still be alive. And if I hadn't told you about what happened to my dad, you wouldn't be here either" Krystal pointed out, sadly.

"This still beats geometry" Billy shrugged, as the pair burst out laughing.

"I'm sorry I dragged you into this, Billy" Krystal told him, as his laughter died out.

"I wouldn't have left you anyway even if they had let me" Billy admitted, as Krystal looked at him with surprise on her features.

"Why not?" Krystal asked as Billy looked away from her.

Just as he opened his mouth to answer, the door was swung open, making Billy jump off the table, ready to put up a fight. Krystal's jaw dropped open as none other than Steve Harrington was pushed through the doorway, followed by Nancy and Jonathan.

"Steve?!" Krystal and Billy exclaimed at the same time.

"What…what are you doing here?" Steve replied as the door was slammed behind them.

"I could ask you the same question" Krystal pointed out, crossing her arms.

"Steve…we're going to have to tell her" Nancy sighed, as Krystal's eyes snapped to hers.

"Tell me what?" Krystal queried.

"It's complicated," Steve told her, looking down at his shoes.

"Bullshit! Someone better tell me in the next ten seconds what is going on or I swear to God-" Karmen shouted angrily, as Steve cut her off.

"We know! We know what happened to your dad. We've always known" Steve confessed; guilt was written all over his face.

"What?" Krystal mumbled.

"Eleven. The girl who came to your diner. She's…she was friends with my little brother. She helped get Will back. We all knew her" Nancy explained.

"She told us what happened to your dad. How he was killed, who did it and why" Jonathan added.

"I swear I wanted to tell you so bad, it was eating me up inside. But they…these people said if we ever did, they'd hurt you! They'd hurt everyone we knew" Steve went on, as he could see tears had begun to well in Krystal's eyes.

"You knew…you knew all this time" Krystal muttered, feeling like her world had just come crashing down around her.

"It's true what I said. I did this to protect you" Steve insisted, taking a step forward.

"Did you never think that maybe she didn't need your goddamn protection?" Billy retorted, coming to stand beside Krystal.

"I had to deal with it all on my own. I had no one to turn to. I…I thought I was going crazy half the time! How could you keep that from me?!" Krystal cried as she shoved him roughly in the chest.

"I'm so sorry" Steve sighed, his own eyes watering.

"We didn't want to drag you into this" Nancy exclaimed.

"Well it's a little too late for that, don't you think?" Krystal spat out.

A moment later, the metal door swung open once again, revealing an older man wearing a white lab coat. He looked between the teenagers and seemed to be able to feel the tension in the room.

"Did I interrupt something?" He inquired.

"You can't keep us here. So kill us, or let us go" Krystal announced, glaring at him.

"Teenagers…so dramatic. You up for a little walk?" The man questioned, as Krystal raised an eyebrow at him.

"Who are you?" Billy asked, crossing his arms.

"Doctor Owens. C'mon now, don't you want to know what's happening here?" He suggested as the group began to reluctantly follow him.

"Men of science have made abundant mistakes of every kind. George Sarton said that. You guys know who George Sarton is? Doesn't really matter. The point is, mistakes have been made" Doctor Owens went on, walking them through a busy corridor.

"Mistakes?" Nancy scoffed.

"Yes" Doctor Owens nodded.

"You killed my dad, you bastard" Krystal spat out, balling her hands into fists.

Billy placed his hand over her arm to stop her from doing anything she'd regret. Krystal took a deep breath, doing everything she could to stop herself from killing the man in front of her.

"Abundant mistakes, but, the men involved with those mistakes, the ones responsible for what happened to Jonathan's brother, Miss Holland's death, and yes…your father, they're gone. And for better for worse, I'm the schmuck they brought in to make things better. But I can't make things better without your help" Doctor Owens explained, as the group surveyed the area.

They walked past numerous labs with dozens of scientists inside, all performing experiments. Not mention guards which were surrounding the different doorways as they were led further through the building.

"And why the hell would we help you?" Krystal exclaimed, angrily.

"She's tough, this one. You guys been together long?" Doctor Owens inquired, turning to Krystal and Billy.

Everyone in the group came to a halt at this comment, as Krystal and Billy tried to splutter out a response, their cheeks reddening. Jonathan's jaw dropped open, as he seemed to be the only one completely surprised by this suggestion.

"She's my stepsister" Billy retorted, refusing to meet Krystal's gaze.

"Oh…oh! Right…well, I suppose I'm in no position to judge" Doctor Owens muttered.

"We're not…that's not…stop trying to change the subject!" Krystal stuttered as Doctor Owens began walking again.

"Do you want to see what really killed your father and her friend?" Doctor Owens inquired, pulling open a reinforced door, which seemed out of place in the building.

"Teddy, I brought you an audience today. I hope you don't mind" Doctor Owens announced, as the group followed him into the large room, with flashing consoles everywhere.

"The more the merrier, sir" A man, in a large silver suit agreed, as a helmet was placed over his head.

Krystal came to a halt when she saw what was on the other side of a large glass window. It was some sort of pulsing red opening, covered in what looked like vines. It was moving. Almost like it was alive. The room on the other side was covered in what appeared to be ash.

"I'd call it one hell of a mistake. Wouldn't you?" Doctor Owens stated, turning to the shocked teens.

"What is it?" Krystal asked.

"An opening. From our world to another. A much more dangerous world" Doctor Owens answered, making Krystal gulp.

"No…no way. This is crazy" Billy shook his head.

"This is where that girl came through? Eleven?" Krystal inquired.

"No. But she is connected to it. She could see into this other world. That's why she's so important" Doctor Owens went on, as the man in the suit walked into the other side of the room.

"See, the thing is, we can't seem to erase our mistake but we can stop it from spreading. It's like pulling weeds. But imagine for a moment if a foreign state…let's say, the Soviets. If they heard about our mistake do you think they would even consider that a mistake? What if they tried to replicate that? The more attention we bring to ourselves, the more people like the Hollands know the truth, the more likely that scenario becomes. You see why I have to stop the truth from spreading, too. Just, same as those weeds there. By whatever means necessary" Doctor Owens insisted, as the suited man began to burn the roots, which squealed in pain.

Krystal cringed in pain at the sound, her hand flying to her head. It was like it was one organism screaming. Billy looked at her with confusion, it was almost like Krystal could sense it's pain.

"It's alive" Krystal realised, looking at the scientist.

"Yes" Doctor Owens nodded.

"You're burning it alive," Krystal told him.

"They're weeds. Weeds don't feel pain" Doctor Owens shook his head.

"Well, Doctor…I've got a feeling you will be very soon," Krystal told him.

"Is that a threat?" Doctor Owens scoffed, looking to her.

"It's an observation. You're clearly dealing with something far out of your control. Aren't you worried?" Krystal exclaimed.

"About what?" Doctor Owens asked.

"That it's going to remember who burnt it" Krystal spat out, turning on her heel and storming out of the room.

* * *

"They're going to get away with everything" Krystal mumbled, once she and Billy were finally directed back to his car.

"We had to sign those documents, or they never would have let us out of that place" Billy pointed out.

"My dad wouldn't have signed it if I was the one buried" Krystal stated, as Billy started the car.

"Maybe not. But he wouldn't have wanted you to put yourself in danger…and you know it" Billy pointed out, as Krystal let out a loud sigh.

"God, I've been such an idiot. Everyone knew what happened to my dad. How could I have been so blind?" Krystal scoffed.

"Look, they're dicks. Forget about them" Billy insisted, his hands tightening on the wheel.

"Are you okay?" Krystal inquired, a moment later.

"Yeah…yeah, I'm fine" Billy nodded.

"You just found out that some other world exists where monster's come through and you're…fine?" Krystal exclaimed, raising an eyebrow at him.

"The world sucked before I found out about this and it still sucks. Not much difference really" Billy shrugged.

"I don't know about that…I've learnt some things" Krystal replied.

"Your dad's still dead" Billy mumbled, as Krystal nodded sadly.

"Well, I wasn't talking about that. I was talking about you" Krystal admitted, as Billy looked over to her, becoming distracted from his driving.

"Me?" Billy frowned.

"You're not the soulless asshole that I thought you were. Not one bit" Krystal told him, making Billy look away with a scowl.

"You really need to work on your compliments" Billy scoffed.

"I'm serious. I…I needed you today. And you were there for me, so…thanks" Krystal explained, as Billy kept his eyes on the road.

"Yeah" Billy nodded, his hands still tight on the wheel.

Krystal kept her gaze on him as she tried to figure out what was wrong. Billy seemed to be growing tenser the closer they were getting to home. She knew what it looked like for something to be eating away at someone.

* * *

"What are you doing?" Krystal inquired, noticing that Billy still hadn't got out of the car when they had been parked outside their house for a while.

"I…I'm not coming in," Billy told her.

"Why not?" Krystal asked, becoming concerned.

"I didn't mean to…" Billy trailed off with a groan, not sure what he could say to make things better.

"What did you do?" Krystal questioned, a sick feeling growing in her stomach when Billy wouldn't answer.

Krystal quickly turned on her heel and unlocked the front door to the house, finding that nobody was inside. Or so she thought. Krystal frowned when she could see a small amount of light coming from underneath Max's door, while the rest of the house was covered in darkness. She cautiously made her way over to her sister's bedroom and knocked on the door.

"Max? You in there?" Krystal called out, hearing a rustling from inside.

"Is it just you?" A soft response came, making Krystal's frown deepen.

"Yeah, it's just me. Let me in?" Krystal asked, as the handle turned and the door slowly opened.

Krystal's eyes widened as she realised Max must have had her chair propped up against the door, so no one could get in. Something was very wrong.

"Are you okay?" Krystal exclaimed, as Max went to sit on her bed, her bottom lip wobbling.

"Hey, if this is about our argument…I'm over it, okay? No big deal" Krystal told her, sitting beside her.

She still got no response from Max, which worried her even more. It wasn't like Max to be so quiet.

"C'mon, I'm supposed to be the mute one in this family" Krystal insisted, as Max let out a small chuckle.

Krystal nudged her, as she always did, her eyes widening when Max let out a small cry. Krystal's mouth dropped open when she saw the large bruise covering Max's upper arm and touched it carefully.

"What happened?" Krystal exclaimed as Max looked away from her.

"Max, who did this to you?" Krystal cried.

"It's…it's my fault. I was teasing him and…he lashed out. I fell on my skateboard. He didn't hit me, or anything-" Max was cut off, by Krystal.

"Billy did this?" Krystal realised, with a horrified expression.

"I think he felt bad afterwards" Max mumbled, sadly.

"Stay here" Krystal told her, as she pushed herself up from the bed.

"Krystal, don't!" Max begged, watching as her sister stormed out of the room.

Krystal was a little surprised when she found Billy still in his car, hands on the wheel like he was desperate to get away. She could tell he noticed her marching over to him, but he wouldn't look her way.

"Get out of the car" Krystal announced, coming to a halt by the driver's side.

"Get out of the fucking car, Billy!" Krystal cried, banging on the roof.

Billy quickly did as he was told, but still refused to meet her eyes, looking nowhere but his shoes. Coward, Krystal thought to herself.

"You hurt her" She stated, watching Billy cringe at the words.

"I didn't mean to" He repeated his earlier words.

"You hurt my little sister. Her whole goddamn arm is bruised, Billy!" Krystal yelled.

"I…I'm sorry" Billy stuttered, reluctantly lifting his gaze to hers.

"God, you are just as bad as they are. Lying to me all day. What, were you hoping she'd just keep it to herself?" Krystal cried.

"No…yes…I don't know, okay?! I just didn't want to ruin things" Billy told her.

"You've done that perfectly well all by yourself" Krystal scoffed.

"Let me apologise to her. I can make this right" Billy insisted.

"I don't want you anywhere near her. Or me" Krystal exclaimed.

"Krystal, please…" Billy trailed off, raising his hand out to touch her.

"Don't! Just don't" Krystal replied, taking a step back.

"You know, I was wrong. You're not a soulless asshole. You…are just like your dad" Krystal announced, watching as Billy flinched like she had hit him.

She turned around quickly and rushed back towards the house, her eyes welling with tears once again. She rubbed her eyes as she slammed the front door behind her, guilt starting to gnaw away at her. Had she taken things too far?


	9. One Time Thing

Did you get any sleep?" Max asked, the following morning, looking down at her sister.

"Note to self…sleeping on the floor hurts" Krystal mumbled, rubbing her neck, sitting upright as she did so.

"I told you, you didn't need to sleep here last night. I'm a big girl, Krystal" Max pointed out.

"Yeah, well I didn't want to leave you alone. Any nightmares?" Krystal questioned, looking up at her.

"No. I slept like a baby. Because I'm fine. It's just a bruise, no big deal" Max huffed.

"He pushed you, Max. That's a big deal. Massive deal" Krystal grumbled, stretching her arms.

"You said he wanted to apologise last night. Why didn't you let him?" Max queried.

"Because he doesn't deserve your forgiveness. He's an asshole" Krystal insisted, pushing herself up from the floor.

"I already knew that, didn't you?" Max frowned, rubbing her eyes.

"I…I thought he was different. But clearly, I was wrong" Krystal mumbled, as Max looked at her with a sad expression.

"What do you want for breakfast? Pancakes?" Krystal inquired, a moment later, wanting to change the subject.

"Drowned in syrup?" Max questioned, making Krystal laugh.

"Like there's any other way to make pancakes" Krystal grinned, as she left the room, making her way towards the kitchen.

She came to a halt when she noticed a piece of paper near their front door and wandered over to get a better look. She frowned when she saw her name was written on the white paper and instantly recognised Steve's handwriting. Turning it over, she quickly scanned over the writing, her frown deepening as she did so.

"Max! Change of plans, you'll have to cook breakfast for yourself!" Krystal exclaimed, rushing past her sister's room.

"What? Why?" Max inquired, getting up from her bed.

"I've got to go out" Krystal answered, closing her bedroom door, as Max heard hangers rustling from inside.

"It's like six-thirty in the morning" Max stated, standing outside the door.

"I can't explain right now. But I'll be back soon" Krystal told her, opening the door to reveal she had changed into different clothes.

"Okay" Max nodded, sadly, having wanted to spend the day with her sister.

"Be careful today, okay? And stay away from those boys in your class. They're trouble!" Krystal informed her, as she rushed past Max towards the front door.

"Why'd you say that?" Max called after her, but Krystal had already shut the door.

Krystal had begun to rush down the drive when she noticed Billy's car was still in the same place as last night. She was shocked when she saw Billy was inside, his jacket off and placed against the window as a makeshift pillow. Before she thought too much into it, she stormed over to the car and ripped open the door, watching with great satisfaction as Billy fell out with a large thud. He opened his eyes groggily, looking up at Krystal, as she raised an eyebrow at him.

"Did you sleep in here last night?" Krystal asked.

"I didn't think I'd be welcome inside" Billy grumbled, as he pushed himself upright.

"I need you to drive me out of town" Krystal announced.

"What? Why?" Billy inquired.

"Because I asked you to, that's why" Krystal retorted.

"What am I, your slave now?" Billy scoffed, running a hand through his curly blond hair.

"You owe me, and you know it. So, get back in the car and drive" Krystal insisted, taking a step forward so they were standing only inches away.

"Not until you hear me out. Look, I fucked up. I know that. I let my anger get the better of me-" Billy started, but Krystal cut him off.

"Like you always do. You hurt my sister, Billy, how do you expect me to forgive you for that?" Krystal exclaimed loudly.

"You did what?!" A familiar voice yelled from a few metres away.

Fear washed over both teenagers as they saw Billy's father marching towards them, clearly having heard the end of their conversation. Billy seemed paralyzed to the spot, too scared to move an inch. Krystal saw her mother poke her head out of the house, a timid look on her face.

"I…it's not…" Billy stuttered, as Neil came to a halt only a metre away from him, his hands balled into fists.

"Krystal?" Neil questioned, giving the young girl a menacing look.

"Billy, uh…he…he told this boy who likes Max to stay away from her. She was really upset last night" Krystal replied, hoping she appeared more convincing than she felt.

"Then how did that bruise on her arm happen?" Neil inquired, as Krystal's eyes snapped over to Max's, who was now standing beside her mother, a guilty look on her face.

"Skateboarding. You know what Max is like" Krystal shrugged.

"And that's all?" Neil asked, turning back to his son.

"Yes, sir" Billy nodded; fear still obvious on his face.

"Apologise to your sister then" Neil stated, taking a step to the side so Max was in view, enjoying how Billy's jaw clenched at the word.

"Sorry, Max" Billy mumbled, making his father scoff.

"I'm sorry, I didn't hear that, boy" Neil insisted, raising an eyebrow.

"I'm sorry for what I did. It won't happen again" Billy said, much louder this time.

Max nodded in response, not sure what else to do. She was still angry at the older boy, but if Neil ever found out what really happened, she feared for Billy's life.

"Billy was going to give me a lift to a friend's house. To start making up for it" Krystal announced.

"Good. It's about time you started making some friends. The last thing I need is a freak for a stepdaughter, after having this disappointment of a son" Neil announced.

Not needing to be told twice, Billy quickly made his way towards the driver's seat, with Krystal following not far behind. Billy pulled out of the drive as Krystal shared a concerned look with Max. She hated leaving the younger girl there, but where she was going was even more dangerous.

"Goddamn asshole" Billy murmured, as he began to accelerate the car.

"Billy, slow down," Krystal told him, knowing he was well over the speed limit of the suburbs.

"Why should I?" Billy retorted, pressing his foot harder onto the pedal.

"Billy, stop it. We'll crash" Krystal insisted, clutching at her seat.

"So?" Billy scoffed, taking a quick turn towards the main road.

"Do you want to die for fuck sake?" Krystal cried, as they narrowly missed crashing into an oncoming vehicle.

"Maybe. What's the point? What's the point to any of this shit?!" Billy exclaimed, angrily.

"Billy, stop! Please!" Krystal begged, reaching out and touching his arm.

Slowly, she could see the tension begin to leave his body, as he reluctantly slowed down and pulled into a nearby parking space, not caring that he scuffed the car behind them as he did so. Krystal tried to get her breathing under control, as her hand remained clutched onto his arm.

"You have a funny way of trying to make someone forgive you, Hargrove" Krystal grumbled, leaning back against her seat.

"I don't need your forgiveness, Hammond" Billy retorted, as Krystal dropped her hand from his arm.

"What was that all about?" Krystal asked as Billy placed his hands back on the steering wheel.

"What's the address?" Billy queried.

"Billy c'mon, you can't just say something like that and-" Krystal started, but he cut her off.

"What's the address, Krystal?" Billy repeated, turning to give her a look, one which she knew meant the conversation had now ended.

* * *

"What a shithole" Billy announced, as he pulled into the decrepit building Krystal had directed him to.

"3833. This is the place" Krystal mumbled, noticing that the place looked almost abandoned, if not for the fully functioning security camera near the door.

"You gonna' tell me what we're doing here?" Billy asked.

"What I'm doing here you mean. You're going home" Krystal announced, stepping out of the car.

"Like hell I am!" Billy exclaimed, exiting the car as well.

"Look, no offence Billy, but this is basically none of your business. So, get lost" Krystal scoffed, as she started walking towards the building.

"Wait! You can't just go in there; it could be dangerous!" Billy stated, grabbing a hold of her wrist to pull her back.

"Like you care" Krystal murmured.

"My dad will kill me if anything happens to you, so yeah. That makes me care. That's why you saved my ass this morning, right?" Billy retorted, making Krystal roll her eyes.

"Seriously? You think that's why? I did it because I didn't want him to hurt you. Because I thought we were…I don't know…" Krystal trailed off, making Billy frown.

"What?" He asked, confusion written on his face.

"Uh, sorry to interrupt, but would you two mind not having a domestic in my front yard?" A voice boomed from a few metres away, as the teens saw it was a dark-haired man who looked like he had just crawled out of bed.

"Who the hell are you?" They both asked at the same time, noticing when a familiar boy came out of the building to stand beside the strange man.

"This is the guy I was telling you about…what's he doing here?" Steve gaped when he saw Billy standing beside her, still holding onto her wrist, letting go when he saw where Steve's gaze laid.

"Billy was just leaving" Krystal replied.

"No, Billy isn't" Billy scoffed.

"Can we please take your teen drama inside? God knows who might already be watching us" The man insisted, ushering them in.

"Great, let's follow the creepy guy into his lair" Billy grumbled, as he reluctantly followed Krystal into the building.

"So, this is…?" The man queried, looking to Steve.

"Krystal. And this is Murray, he's a private investigator. He's helping us to bring down those sons of bitches at Hawkins lab" Steve announced, as Murray slammed the door behind the group.

"Wait, this is Krystal? As in Krystal Hammond? Wasn't your dad the one who killed himself last year?" Murray inquired, bluntly.

"Actually, he was murdered" Krystal retorted.

"By the guys from the lab? I knew it! I knew there was something fishy with his death. Ha! God, I'm good" Murray cheered himself off, as Krystal crossed her arms over her chest and gave him an unimpressed look.

"Oh…and uh, I'm very sorry about your father" Murray exclaimed, awkwardly, as Krystal nodded in response.

"I'm sorry how is this weirdo supposed to help?" Billy spoke up, as they all turned to him.

"And who might you be?" Murray asked, placing his hands-on-hips.

"Billy Hargrove" He answered, with his trademark glare.

"Am I supposed to know who you are?" Murray retorted, which seemed to piss Billy off more.

"Oh good, you made it" Another voice announced, past the strange metal doors that connected to Murray's main room.

"Nancy? Jonathan? Is everyone involved in this?" Krystal asked, raising an eyebrow.

"The more heads together the better, right?" Steve suggested.

"Not in this case. That tape is no good. It won't hold up with general public" Murray announced.

"What tape?" Krystal queried.

"We taped the conversation with Dr Brenner. Specifically, the part where he admitted they killed your dad and Barb" Nancy explained.

"Okay, I'm kind of impressed" Krystal smirked.

"Hello? Anyone listening to me? It's a no go. If we try telling people about other worlds and monsters, they'll just think we're crazy" Murray went on.

"So, they just get away with it?" Krystal scoffed.

"We could bend the truth a little" Billy mumbled, as all pairs of eyes looked to him.

"That's it! I could kiss you right now!" Murray cried, with a bright smile.

"Please don't" Billy grimaced, making Krystal laugh lightly.

"Uh, I'm lost?" Steve stated, putting his hand up.

"They won't believe about the Upside Down, but perhaps Barbara was exposed to some dangerous toxins" Murray began, walking into his kitchen and pulling out a bottle of vodka and a bottle of lemonade.

"A leak from the lab. Like Three Mile Island or something" Nancy added, as Murray pulled out six pairs of cups.

"But that didn't happen" Steve frowned.

"Your lucky you have your looks, buddy" Murray mumbled.

"Hey!" Nancy and Krystal exclaimed, looking at each other awkwardly afterwards.

"Something scary but familiar. Close enough that it hits the man right where it hurts" Murray grinned, pouring some vodka into all the cups.

"And those assholes who killed Barb…" Nancy trailed off, watching Murray pour some lemonade into the cups.

"They'll go down" Murray finished the sentence, handing out the cups to all the teenagers.

"We water it down" Nancy nodded, taking a sip of her drink.

"But what about my dad?" Krystal insisted, not happy that he was being forgotten as usual.

"We could say he found out about the chemical leak. That he was going to expose it" Billy suggested.

"So, they killed him" Krystal nodded.

"Now this guy…this guy I like" Murray beamed, clinking his cup with Billy.

"He's a very convincing actor" Krystal murmured, taking a large gulp of her drink.

"Uh, do you have a phone?" Billy questioned, placing his drink down.

"Sure, it's in the other room. Near the record player" Murray told him, not paying much attention.

Krystal frowned as she watched him pick up the landline, wondering who he could be calling. Everyone else was too caught up in their celebrations, as they continued to drink. Krystal slowly edged away from the group, hoping to listen in on the conversation Billy was having.

"Hey, it's me" Billy exclaimed.

"She's fine. I just…I wanted to talk to you. You could have told my dad what really happened yesterday, and you didn't. I owe you, Max" Billy went on, surprising Krystal.

"Yeah, I never thought I'd hear the day I'd say that either. Look, I'm sorry for pushing you. I don't want to be like my dad. Ever" Billy sighed, with a guilty tone.

"I still think you're a little shit, but we're stuck together. We should look out for each other, not fight. I do enough of that with my dad" Billy pointed out.

"Max, can we not talk about that, okay? Krystal and me…it's complicated" Billy insisted, after a long pause.

"I know. I know, I can't hit everyone who says that I have some stupid crush on her…No, Max. You wouldn't understand, your too young" Billy stated.

"Thirteen is still a child, you know...Okay, yeah. I'll tell her…bye" Billy exclaimed, before putting the phone down.

Billy's heart dropped when he turned around and saw Krystal standing only metres away, clearly having heard the conversation from the way her mouth was hanging open. Billy racked his brain for something to say, but instead, he just stood there, his mouth opening and closing.

"C'mon, Murray's getting the shots out" Steve announced, coming out of the kitchen and placing his arm around Krystal, pulling her into the other room.

Billy had never been more thankful for Harrington at that moment, as he breathed a sigh of relief.

* * *

"It's getting late. We should probably go" Jonathan announced, a couple of hours later.

"What about the tapes? We haven't finished copying them" Murray pointed out.

"Our parents will be worried" Nancy informed him, as Jonathan nodded.

"We can stay" Krystal offered, continuing to write the envelope she had been.

"Are you sure?" Steve queried.

"Our parents won't even realise we're gone" Billy scoffed, taking the envelope Krystal had been writing on and licking it closed in a strangely seductive way.

"It's not so bad. At least we get free alcohol" Krystal stated, holding up her almost empty cup of vodka.

"Who said it was free?" Murray questioned, making Krystal grin.

"We'll call in the morning?" Nancy suggested, standing up.

"Sure. Drive safe" Krystal told them, as she and Jonathan went to leave the room.

"I can stay…if you want?" Steve asked, coming to stand beside her.

"I'm good, Steve. Really" Krystal insisted, as he gave her a small smile.

"I'm glad you came" Steve said, before giving her shoulder a quick squeeze, and rushing off to find Nancy.

Krystal watched him go with a gloomy expression, wishing that he would have stayed. She might not have been in love with him anymore, but it still hurt seeing him running after Nancy. Billy couldn't help but grit his teeth as he saw the dreamy look on Krystal's face, wondering why she was still so hung up on the guy.

"This should only take another hour or so. You guys can take the guest room" Murray informed them.

"Uh…can one of us take the sofa?" Krystal suggested.

"That one is you. I slept in my car last night" Billy pointed out, making Krystal roll her eyes.

"Such a gentleman" Krystal scoffed, taking a sip of her drink.

"Okay, I'm confused. What's going on here? Lovers quarrel?" Murray inquired, shocking Krystal to the point where she choked on the alcohol.

"What?!" Both teens gaped at the same time.

"She's my stepsister!" Billy exclaimed as Murray's eyes flitted between the pair.

Krystal raised an eyebrow as Murray exploded into a fit of laughter, his head falling back in amusement. Billy's confusion quickly turned into annoyance as the man continued to laugh.

"Oh, wait, you're serious? Wow…forbidden love. Aren't you two just adorable?" Murray teased.

"Look man, you don't know what you're talking about. There's nothing going on between us" Billy insisted, making the man chuckle once again.

"I've been told a lot of shockers tonight, but that…that was the first lie" Murray replied.

"It's not a lie" Krystal scoffed, placing her cup on the table.

"No? Your young, attractive. You've got chemistry, you live together for god's sake!" Murray pointed out.

"Nothing has ever happened!" Krystal insisted.

"But you want it to, don't you?" Murray grinned, as Krystal seemed speechless in response.

"Leave her alone" Billy insisted, glaring at the older man.

"God, you two are just too easy to read. You…it's almost painted over your face. Dead father equals a whole lot of trust issues. You've tried to close yourself off to pretty much everything right?" Murray guessed, pointing towards Krystal.

"Hey, I told you-" Billy exclaimed, but was cut off by Murray's further psychoanalysing.

"Let me guess, daddy issues, right? Neglectful maybe…no, it's more than that. He hits you?" Murray guessed as Billy averted his eyes.

"He's a grade-A asshole" Krystal mumbled.

"So, you retreat into this bad boy act? You expect everyone to treat you like your father does because it's all you know. You lash out at people, so they don't get too close" Murray went on, as Krystal mulled this over.

"Two broken people so hellbent on hating each other ending up doing the exact opposite? This is just too juicy" Murray grinned, clapping his hands together.

"You've known us for all of five minutes and think you've got us all figured out, huh?" Krystal scoffed.

"Pretty much. I'm a people person" Murray shrugged, as Krystal now began chuckling.

"Yeah, it shows" Billy murmured.

"You're wrong about us" Krystal insisted.

"Really?" Murray questioned, with an amused smile.

"Really. And we'll prove it. We'll take your guest room, sleep in the same bed and nothing is gonna' happen. C'mon, Billy" Krystal announced, standing up and holding out her hand.

Billy's eyes widened at her comment, but he still reluctantly joined their hands and allowed himself to be pulled towards the guest room. Krystal dropped his hand the moment she slammed the door closed, much to Billy's disappointment.

"What a dumbass" Krystal grumbled.

"You can say that again" Billy replied, with a small smile.

* * *

An hour later and Billy and Krystal were laying under the covers of the bed in Murray's guest room, still in their day clothes seeing as they had brought nothing else. The teenagers were staring at the ceiling, an uncomfortable tension in the room. Krystal realised it was the first time she had ever had a boy in her bed before.

"You want the lights on or off?" Billy inquired, breaking the silence.

"On…definitely on," Krystal told him, still staring at the ceiling.

"What happened to your dad…is that why you have all those lamps in your room?" Billy guessed as Krystal nodded slowly.

"I have nightmares. It helps me fall asleep" Krystal stated.

"About your dad?" Billy queried.

"About lots of things" She sighed, thinking about how her nightmares had only got worse in the last few weeks.

Billy didn't say anything after that, as Krystal watched him close his eyes, signalling that he was ready to sleep. However, she still had more to say.

"Why did you say that today? That you didn't care if you died? That's not true, right?" Krystal inquired, turning onto her side to fully face him.

"It's not like anyone would miss me" Billy shrugged, refusing to meet her gaze.

"That's not true" Krystal retorted, making Billy scoff cruelly.

"Isn't it? My dad can't stand the sight of me, my mum might as well be dead, I have no friends and my two stepsisters hate me" Billy explained, the outburst having surprised Krystal.

"I don't hate you" Krystal frowned, as Billy rolled onto his side to raise an eyebrow at her.

"But you can't forgive me" Billy suggested, trying to ignore the fact that their faces were now inches away from each other.

"Max seems to have. Maybe I could too" Krystal mumbled, watching as Billy stiffened in front of her.

"Look, I don't know what you heard earlier, but Max has got it wrong-" Billy started, but Krystal cut her off.

"Just like Murray has?" Krystal stated, raising an eyebrow.

"Well, it's not my fault if people have caught you drooling over me" Billy retorted, with a cocky smile.

"Oh, you mean like you were doing at Halloween?" Krystal scoffed.

"Look, we're similar ages and have been forced to live together. Maybe we're attracted to each other…but that's it" Billy insisted.

"So, you don't care about me at all?" Krystal asked.

"No" Billy mumbled; his eyes downcast.

"Look me in the eye and say that" Krystal insisted, as he rose to challenge, his blue eyes piercing her own.

Billy opened his mouth to speak, but the words seemed to die in his mouth. In the soft yellow lighting for the lamps, he realised he had never been quite so close to Krystal. Her face was bare, showing the scar on her cheek that she tried so desperately to hide. As if his hand had a mind of its own, he brushed his thumb across her cheek, watching as her eyes dropped to his lips. Wetting his lips instinctively, he brought her face to closer to his, until their lips were practically touching. It felt like a sigh of relief when he finally pressed his lips against hers, with barely any force behind the gesture, as if he was scared she would run away. Krystal reacted in the opposite way, as she pressed her lips firmly against his own, placing her hand over his larger one against her cheek. Billy was sure it must have been the most chaste kiss he had ever had. Not to mention the only one that had his heart thumping in his chest, his palms sweating, as he pulled Krystal closer. She was the first one to pull away, her forehead resting against his own, as he felt her breath fan over his lips.

"Why did you do that?" Krystal questioned; her blue eyes wide.

"I…I don't know" Billy admitted, watching as Krystal licked her lips.

"If anyone finds out about this…" Krystal trailed off.

"It was a one-time thing. No one needs to know" Billy told her.

"Right. It should never happen again" Krystal replied, her breathing quickening.

Before Billy knew what he was doing, his hand had tangled itself into her brunette hair and pulled her towards him, their lips crashing together. What would one more kiss hurt, Billy thought to himself.


	10. Bruises and Kisses

Krystal woke up slowly the next morning, stretching her back, finding her head lying on a surprisingly soft pillow. She looked down when she felt a strange pressure over her abdomen, her eyes widening when she saw a tanned, muscular arm wrapped around her waist. She turned slightly to see none other than Billy Hargrove spooning her. As her mind slowly caught up to current events she started to panic. Krystal remembered sharing the bed with Billy, kissing him, feeling his hands all over her body…looking down she was relieved to see all her clothes were still on. Nothing more had happened than stolen kisses in the night. Her panicked movements seemed to have stirred Billy from his sleep, as she felt something hard pressing against her ass. With a deep blush, she jumped out from under his arm and ended up falling out of the bed. Billy woke with a start, his head snapping up just to see Krystal going over the edge. He raised a confused eyebrow before he seemed to realise he had a boner, his hands instantly reaching to cover his groin.

"Shit" Billy mumbled, grabbing a nearby pillow and placing it over his crotch.

"You should probably…" Krystal trailed off, gesturing towards the door.

"Yeah" Billy nodded, hoping he could find Murray's shower quickly.

He ripped open the bedroom door to come face to face with Murray, who had two plates in his hands. He looked down to the pillow covering Billy's lower half and had to bite his lip to stop himself from laughing.

"Good night, huh?" Murray queried, in an amused tone.

Billy opened his mouth to reply but couldn't think of a good enough answer. Instead, he stood there an awkward stuttering mess. What the hell was Krystal reducing him to?

"Can I use your shower?" Billy asked, finally finding his words.

"Up the stairs to your left…don't worry, the water always runs ice cold" Murray grinned, as Billy rushed past him, embarrassment clear on his face.

"You're an ass" Krystal exclaimed, as she walked over to him.

"Better than being in denial" Murray retorted, as Krystal took the plate of scrambled egg from him.

"Thanks for the food" Krystal murmured, before slamming the door in his face.

* * *

"You get through to your folks?" Murray announced, later that morning, after Krystal had asked to use his phone.

"Yep. They hadn't realised we didn't come home" Krystal scoffed, as Murray gave her a pitying look for a moment, before thinking better of it.

"C'mon, we better go before my dad throws a fit" Billy advised, ushering her towards the front door, which Murray opened for them.

"Thank you…for helping us" Krystal exclaimed, as she and Billy took a step outside.

"What can I say? I always root for the underdogs" Murray shrugged, with a grin.

"Do you think it'll work? Will people listen to the tape?" Billy couldn't help but question.

"I hope so" Murray replied, as the two teenagers took a step back, as he went to close the door.

"See you kids around" Murray stated, before shutting the door in their faces.

"Well…he's certainly a character" Krystal mumbled, turning on her heel and walking towards Billy's car.

"And that's putting it nicely" Billy mocked, as he went to unlock the car, and flopped down into the driver's seat.

Just as he went to put the keys in the ignition, Krystal reached out to stop him, placing her hand over his. She noticed how he flinched away from her touch instantly as if it burned.

"We need to talk about last night" Krystal announced.

"It was a stupid drunken kiss" Billy stated.

"Except it was more than just one kiss" Krystal pointed out, raising an eyebrow at him.

"Look, your hot, I'm hot…it was bound to happen eventually" Billy shrugged, making Krystal scoff.

"Well, it's not the first time I've wanted to kiss you" Krystal admitted, refusing to meet his eyes.

"It's not?" Billy asked, as Krystal shook her head.

"At the lake, if you had kissed me…I wouldn't have stopped you" Krystal admitted, not missing Billy's surprised expression.

"But I meant what I said last night. No one can find out about this. Ever" Krystal insisted.

"Trust me, I'm not going to shout it from the rooftops" Billy scoffed.

"What happens at Murray's, stays at Murray's" Krystal suggested, as Billy nodded enthusiastically.

"…Technically we are still at Murray's…" Billy trailed off, as Krystal turned to look at him, watching as his eyes dropped to her lips.

"This is wrong" Krystal gulped, as Billy leaned in closer.

"Very" He mumbled, pressing his lips against hers, hard.

Instantly, her hands were wrapped around the back of his neck, pulling him closer, wanting him as near as possible. Billy trapped her against the car door and his body, as he pressed a hand against the window for support. The chasteness from the night before was completely gone, now swapped for needy desperation. As Billy's other hand trailed down Krystal's waist, she felt butterflies in her stomach. It reminded her of how Nancy would describe her kisses with Steve. The knees weak, sweaty palms kind of kiss that would leave you breathless. Any thoughts about Steve or Nancy were quickly abandoned as Billy bit down on her lip, earning a breathy moan from underneath him. Deciding he wanted to hear the sound again and again, Billy began peppering kisses down her neck, nipping at a particularly sensitive spot that made her grip onto his arms—

A loud knock on the door shocked them both, as Billy looked up to see Murray standing beside the car through the fogged-up window. The teenagers quickly sprung apart, Billy returning to the driver's seat, as he looked away from the man outside. Awkwardly, Krystal began to wind down the passenger seat window, finding Murray standing there with a large grin and a bottle of vodka in his hand.

"I thought you two might need some entertainment for the road…but it seems like you've got that covered" Murray teased, watching as the pair blushed deeply.

"If you tell anybody about this-" Billy began, but Murray cut him off quickly.

"Don't worry, your secret is safe with me. Good luck…I think you'll need it" Murray advised, handing Krystal the bottle of vodka.

"Oh…and if you need to contact me again…don't" Murray announced, before turning on his heel and walking back to his home, leaving both teenagers stunned.

* * *

Krystal cursed under her breath as the doorbell to the house rung, causing her to lose her grip on the nail varnish she was using, as it splattered to the floor. She picked it up quickly, glad to see there was only a tiny mark. She brought her hands closer to her face and was pleased to see the nail varnish hadn't smudged. It must have been almost a year since she had painted her nails, she mused as she blew on them. It had nothing to do with her earlier encounter with Billy. Nor did the fact that she knew he'd like the deep red colour on her.

"Max, are you gonna' get that or what?" Billy yelled as Krystal rolled her eyes.

Usually she would be more than happy to answer the door, but she hadn't left her room all morning. She had heard Billy shuffling around in their living room earlier, effectively trapping her in her room. How could she look her stepbrother in the eye now?

"Okay!" Max shouted, in an annoyed tone.

"Swear to God, Max…" Billy insisted as they could both hear her bedroom door hadn't opened.

Deciding enough was enough, Krystal pushed herself up from her bed, and walked out of her bedroom just in time to see Max storming over to the front door. She cleared her throat loudly to get the pair's attention. Max gave her a confused look, as she crossed her arms. Billy on the other hand, placed the heavy weights down he had been using, sweat glistening over his tanned body. Krystal didn't miss the way he looked her up and down, his eyes landing on her painted nails quickly.

"Seeing as Max saved your ass yesterday; don't you think you should be a little more grateful?" Krystal suggested, watching as Billy took a long drag from his cigarette.

"You're so right, Krystal. Max, could you please…answer the damn door" Billy exclaimed, making Max scoff.

"I think that's the best you're going to get" Krystal stated, as Max turned on her heel and ripped open the front door.

"Nice nails" Billy mumbled, as he leaned down to pick up the weights once again.

"You've been doing that all morning" Krystal pointed out, ushering towards the weights.

"What can I say…I have good stamina" Billy grinned, a cigarette hanging loosely from his lips.

Neither of them noticed Max had slammed the door shut behind her when she saw who the visitor was, as the teenagers were too distracted. Billy watched smugly as Krystal's cheeks grew a pink colour.

"Or maybe you're just overcompensating" Krystal teased, her eyes following Billy's rippling muscles as he pulled the weights up.

"As you could probably tell this morning, there's nothing small about me, Krys" Billy smirked, his eyes snapping up to meet hers.

"Stop it" Krystal scoffed, crossing her arms.

"Stop what?" Billy asked, innocently.

"Flirting. We're not at Murray's anymore. Max is right outside that door" Krystal pointed out.

"Max has already figured it out-" Billy began, but she cut him off.

"No, she hasn't! Because there is nothing to figure out. It was a moment of madness. And that's the end of it" Krystal insisted, marching over so that she was standing right in front of Billy.

"Fine" Billy scoffed.

"Fine!" Krystal replied, as the front door re-opened.

"Who were you talking to?" Billy inquired, as he put the weights back down.

"Mormons" Max shrugged, as Billy and Krystal shared a look.

"Max?" Krystal exclaimed, knowing when the ginger was lying.

"…It was one of the boys from school. Lucas" Max admitted.

"I told you to stay away from them!" Krystal gaped, as Max rolled her eyes.

"He's my friend. And I can hang out with who I want" Max told her.

"There are certain people you stay away from in this world, Max. And he's one of them" Billy warned her, as Krystal nodded.

"Exactly, he's…wait, why are you saying it like that?" Krystal frowned.

"Because he's a racist prick" Max mumbled, under her breath as Krystal's eyes widened.

"Seriously, Billy? What the hell does the colour of his skin matter?" Krystal glared at him, crossing her arms.

"Wait, that's not why you want me to stay away from him?" Max questioned, growing confused.

"No! Of course not. He's mixed up in what happened to the Byer's kid last year. That's what I'm worried about" Krystal explained.

"Okay, well I'm just going to leave you two to your lover's spat" Max murmured, as she went to walk away, as Krystal's jaw dropped.

"That's not…we weren't…" Krystal stuttered as Max's door slammed shut.

"I told you she knows" Billy shrugged, as he picked up the weights again.

* * *

Krystal was laid on her bed a few hours later, trying to distract herself by reading a magazine. But once again her mind wandered to Billy. She couldn't understand how she had gone from hating him to being desperate to be near him so quickly. He was so goddamn intoxicating. Groaning, she threw her magazine down on the bed and wandered over to her bedroom door. She wasn't sure where she was going, but she needed to get out of the house before another mistake happened. She came to a halt when she opened the door to find the boy in question standing there, his hand outstretched as if he had been reaching for the door handle.

"I found your sweater in my car" Billy announced, handing it to her.

"And you were creeping outside my door just for that?" Krystal questioned, raising an eyebrow.

"My whole damn car smells like your perfume" Billy pointed out, as Krystal blushed thinking about how she had dowsed herself in the spray the day before when she had been planning for Billy to take her for a ride.

"What do you want? Me to apologise?" Krystal scoffed, as Billy took a step forward so that he was standing in her room.

"You know what I want" Billy told her; his voice suddenly much lower.

"Well, I'm not about to make out with a racist prick" Krystal exclaimed, making Billy groan.

"Look, it's not that I…people talk, okay? If they see Max hanging around with someone like that-" Billy started, but Krystal cut him off.

"Do you realise how much you sound like your dad right now?" Krystal pointed out, watching Billy's forehead wrinkle.

"You want to make out with your stepsister and you're judging Max for who she likes?" Krystal went on, as Billy cringed at the implications.

"I guess my dad has finally succeeded in screwing me up, huh?" Billy stated.

"You don't have to be like your dad, Billy. You can be better" Krystal insisted.

No one had ever said that to him before. They all assumed he would turn out like his dad, no matter what. It was his worst nightmare and he had no idea how to stop it. So why did Krystal see that?

"I want to be" Billy admitted, in a small voice, surprising Krystal with his vulnerability.

Krystal inwardly groaned as she realised his confession only made her want to kiss him more. There was so much more to Billy than most people realised. Being the only person allowed to see his vulnerable side made her heart flutter.

"Why did you kiss me yesterday?" Krystal blurted out; the question having been on her mind.

"Because I wanted to" Billy replied, making Krystal scoff.

"…Right, well if that's all then-" Krystal was cut off as Billy took another step forward until their faces were only inches away.

"Because I can't stop thinking about you" Billy admitted, his eyes falling to her lips.

The next moment, his lips crashed into hers, his hands tangling into her brunette hair. She kissed him back breathlessly, raising her arm out to slam the door shut behind them. Billy took advantage of this and twisted them around so that she was pressed firmly against the door, his hands slipping from her hair and trailing down her waist. Krystal felt feverish as she felt Billy's hand slip under her shirt, her skin burning underneath his fingertips. She wanted more. Pulling her hands away from where they had settled on his neck, she pulled away from the kiss momentarily, to attempt to pull his white shirt over his head. Billy assisted her quickly, throwing the shirt across the room, and grabbing her hands. He pulled them above her head, effectively pinning her hands to the door, as he started kissing down her throat, finding the sensitive spot that made her moan. Not being able to use her hands, she wrapped one of her legs around him, pulling him closer to her, as she felt him grow hard against her.

"Guys, we're home!" A familiar voice called out from the living room, as the teenagers pulled apart.

"Shit, shit, shit…" Krystal mumbled as she pushed Billy off her.

She could believe that they hadn't heard Neil or Susan returning home, or the fact that for once they were home on time. Billy quickly rushed across the room, picking up his discarded shirt, and throwing it on. Krystal smoothed down her hair and wiped her lips with the back of her hand. She was hoping that Billy could sneak back to his room when the door was suddenly opened by a confused looking Susan. She looked in between her daughter and stepson, not missing their guilty looks.

"Stop leaving your shit in my car!" Billy suddenly exclaimed, picking up the jumper on the bed and throwing it at Krystal.

"Jesus, would you calm down! Are you on your period or something?" Krystal rolled her eyes, going along with Billy's scene.

Neil wasn't far behind Susan, an angry expression on his face, as he crossed his arms over his chest.

"What's wrong?" Billy questioned.

"Why don't you tell us?" Neil retorted as Billy gave him an exasperated look.

"Because I don't know" Billy stated.

"We can't find Maxine" Susan announced, as Krystal felt her blood run cold.

"What?" Krystal gaped, as she shared a look with Billy.

"And her windows open…where is she?" Neil inquired, looking towards his son who was supposed to be keeping an eye on Max.

"I don't know" Billy admitted, a hint of worry in his voice.

"You don't know?" Neil scoffed.

"Her friend stopped by the house earlier. Dammit, she must have sneaked out" Krystal realised.

"Sneaked out? You were supposed to watch her" Neil accused, stepping into the room, rubbing a hand over his face.

"I know, dad, but I was cleaning out my car and Krystal keeps leaving her shit in it-" Billy began, wanting to keep going with the story.

"So, that's why you were in her room with the door closed?" Neil went on, seeing his son freeze for a moment.

"We were arguing" Billy retorted.

"That's funny. Because I didn't hear any arguing. Did you, Susan?" He questioned, turning back to her.

"…No" Susan agreed, in a small voice.

"So, what were you really doing in here?" Neil insisted, looking in between the two teenagers.

"I was trying to be the mature one and give him the silent treatment, but clearly he doesn't-" Krystal began, but Neil cut her off instantly.

"I didn't ask you" Neil snapped, as Krystal shut her mouth quickly.

"I have been looking after Max all week, dad! If she wants to run off, that's her problem, alright? She's thirteen years old! She shouldn't need a full-time babysitter!" Billy pointed

out, wanting to change the subject.

"And she's not my sister!" Billy couldn't help but blurt out, a moment later.

In the blink of an eye, Neil had lunged at his son and pushed him against a nearby cabinet, not caring how rough he was being. Krystal took a step forward, worried that things were going to turn ugly quickly.

"What did we talk about?" Neil questioned, holding onto the collar of Billy's shirt.

When he got no reply from the younger boy, he hit him across the face, making Billy's head bang into the cabinet. He quickly grabbed his son by the chin and forced him to look up at him.

"Stop it!" Krystal gaped, shocked that Neil would hit his son in front of them.

"What…did we talk about?" Neil repeated as Billy glared at him.

"Respect and responsibility" Billy replied, meeting his father's gaze steadily.

"That is right" Neil nodded, his grip around his son's throat tightening, as Billy knew it would leave a bruise there.

"Let go of him!" Krystal insisted, worry for Billy clear in his voice.

"Stay out of this, Krystal. Unless you want to be next…" Neil warned her, as Krystal gulped nervously.

"Don't talk to her like that!" Billy snapped, as Neil raised an eyebrow.

Before Billy could say anything else, Neil's fist collided with his cheek, his other hand still gripping him tightly by the neck. Krystal gasped as Neil continued the assault, moving his fist to punch Billy repeatedly in the stomach, leaving him too winded to fight back.

"Mom! Mom, do something!" Krystal cried, rushing over to Susan and gripping onto her arms.

"Just…stay out of it, Krystal. You'll only make it worse" Susan mumbled, as Krystal's jaw dropped, unable to believe what her mother had said.

Shoving the older woman away from her, she stormed over to Neil, who now had Billy on his knees. She rushed forward as Neil kicked Billy in the ribs, throwing him into the cabinet with a sickening thud.

"Stop it. Stop it!" Krystal yelled, as she grabbed Neil's arm, which was raised in the air, ready to strike.

With an annoyed growl, Neil pushed her away from him roughly, not realising how close she was. His elbow connected with her face, hard, striking her in the nose as she stumbled back. Susan let out a cry as her daughter clutched at her face, making the two men on the floor turn around. Neil allowed a sliver of guilt to fall across his face as he saw that Krystal's nose had begun dripping with blood.

"…That was your fault" Neil exclaimed, pushing himself up from the floor.

Krystal glared back at him, a dark look in her eyes. Billy gaped at the scene in front of him, as he tried and failed to push himself upright. He couldn't believe his dad had hurt Krystal.

"Neil…please" Susan announced, holding out her hand.

"You're going to leave this house now and you're not going to come back without Max. Isn't that right?" Neil ordered, his gaze landing on his son on the floor.

"Isn't that right?!" Neil yelled, not caring as tears filled in Billy's eyes.

"Yes, sir" Billy mumbled, trying his hardest not to cry.

"I'm sorry, I couldn't hear you" Neil sighed in annoyance, gritting his teeth.

"Yes, sir" Billy replied, more forcibly this time.

"Find Max" Neil insisted, turning on his heel, refusing to look at Krystal as he did so.

He took Susan's hand and pulled her away from the room roughly, who had been looking at the bruised and bloody teenagers guiltily. Billy finally allowed the tears that had been welling in her eyes to fall once his father had left.

"Fuck" He sobbed, clutching at his bruised chest.

"Billy…" Krystal trailed off, rushing to his side.

"Are you okay?" Billy questioned, watching as she wiped away the blood from her nose that was still dripping.

"No…are you?" Krystal asked, pulling his arm over her shoulder.

"No" Billy replied, as she helped pull him upright.

Billy couldn't help but cry out in pain as his bruised muscles flexed, and for a moment he worried he could have internal bleeding. The pair quickly stumbled out of the house, Billy leaning on Krystal gratefully, as he wasn't sure he would be able to stand otherwise. His father had never attacked him so badly. Not ever. Krystal was careful when helping him get into his car, grimacing as he groaned in pain. She rushed over to the passenger's side and slammed the door shut, letting out a deep breath she hadn't realised she had been holding. Before she knew what she was doing, tears started to leak from her eyes, as she quietly sobbed. She had never felt so helpless. She heard a rustling beside her and suddenly there were tissues being thrust in her face. She was grateful how dark the car was, as she tried to mop up her tears.

"…Are these your wank tissues?" Krystal inquired, after a moment, hearing a chuckle from beside her.

"Yeah" Billy laughed, as she threw the box towards him.

"You're so gross" She giggled lightly, as he started the car up and pulled out from the driveway.

Neither had ever been more relieved to leave the house.


	11. Fight or Flight

Billy turned to look at his stepsister as he pulled up into the drive of the Wheeler's house. He could see she was still shaking, despite the bleeding from her nose finally having stopped. She had stayed in the car when he went to Lucas' house, staying silent the whole time. She was quiet. Too quiet. He didn't want her to go back to being like she used to.

"Krys, we're here" Billy announced, placing his hand on her arm, hating how she jumped at his touch.

It wasn't long ago that she had told him he was just like his father. Did she really believe that? Was she scared of him now?

"Sorry" She mumbled, running a hand through her hair, seeing how he had backed away from her.

"What's wrong?" Billy couldn't help but ask, as Krystal turned to him with a disbelieving look.

"What's wrong?! Your dad just beat you to a pulp, Billy! If I hadn't tried to stop him…" Krystal trailed off, not wanting to finish the sentence.

"I won't let him hurt you again," Billy told her, as she shook her head.

"That's not what I'm upset about. I knew he hurt you, I think everyone in Hawkins knows that, but I didn't realise he was like…" Krystal cut herself off, once again.

"Like?" Billy frowned.

"Like my foster parents. The last time they beat me…I ended up in intensive care. One of my lungs collapsed" Krystal sighed, as Billy's eyes widened.

"You never said it was that bad" Billy gaped, horror in his eyes.

"I didn't think you would care. No one in Hawkins did. Why should you have been any different?" Krystal pointed out.

Billy looked away from her with a guilty expression, remembering how much of a dick he had been to her when she came to California. He had a vivid memory of driving her into town to pick up her pain medication and how irritated he had been by her shaky breathing. He had left her outside the pharmacist, telling her to find her own damn way home. Maybe he was even worse than his father, Billy thought to himself.

"I didn't realise I was just running from one abusive household to another" Krystal scoffed.

"I'll be turning eighteen next year. We can leave whether Neil likes it or not-" Billy exclaimed but was cut off by Krystal.

"We?" She questioned, surprised.

"You, me and Max. She may be a little shit, but no one deserves to be left with a man like him" Billy replied.

"What about me? Am I a little shit too?" Krystal inquired, with an amused smile.

"You're not so bad" Billy shrugged, with a sniff.

"Sweet talking me will get you nowhere, Hargrove" Krystal teased, making Billy chuckle lightly.

"I think we saw tonight exactly how far it can get me" Billy smirked, as Krystal blushed furiously.

"Billy, you know what happened tonight…and yesterday…and the night before…well, none of it can ever happen again, okay? It's not worth the risk" Krystal explained.

"Really?" Billy retorted.

"Really. You can't kiss me again" Krystal insisted.

"Oh, like you've been an innocent bystander in all of this?" Billy scoffed.

"I'm just saying it's been you who've kissed me every time" Krystal mumbled, smugly.

"Are you challenging me, Mayfield?" Billy grinned.

"What?" Krystal questioned.

"I'll have you begging me to kiss you by the end of the night. You just wait" Billy told her, wiggling his eyebrows mischievously.

Without another word, he exited the car, leaving Krystal speechless. She watched as he sauntered over to the Wheeler house, pressing the doorbell and leaning against the wall.

"Well, that went well" Krystal murmured.

Her attention was brought back to the scene in front of her as the door was ripped open by Mrs Wheeler…wearing nothing more than a skimpy robe that was almost off her shoulders. She could see how Billy leaned closer and didn't need to see his face to know he was giving her his trademark grin. Krystal frowned as she Mrs Wheeler giggle like a schoolgirl, even going as far to twirl her hair around a finger. Was she seriously flirting with someone the same age as her daughter?

"Hell no, this is not happening" Krystal grumbled, watching as Billy held out a hand for Mrs Wheeler to shake.

Krystal stormed out of the car, marching over to the pair who were now holding hands. Mrs Wheeler didn't even seem to notice Krystal approaching, far too engrossed with the teenage boy in front of her.

"You must be here for Nancy?" Mrs Wheeler inquired, as Billy shook his head.

"Nancy? No, no, not my type…" Billy trailed off, turning to see Krystal stand beside him.

"We're looking for my little sister Max" Krystal announced, as Mrs Wheeler finally became aware of her presence.

"Goes by Maxine" Billy added, as Krystal had to resist the urge to roll her eyes.

God, he was such an asshole. Why did that make her like him even more?

"Krystal…wow, I haven't seen you since…well all that nasty business with your father" Mrs Wheeler announced, recognising the girl quickly.

"You mean my father getting shot in the head?" Krystal retorted, raising an eyebrow.

Billy looked at Mrs Wheeler's uncomfortable expression, and the way she almost shrank into herself. Oh yeah, Krystal was definitely his type. Mrs Wheeler cleared her throat awkwardly, as her eyes flitted between the pair, obviously trying to figure out how the two were connected.

"And you two are…?" Mrs Wheeler trailed off, seeing how close the pair were standing to each other.

"His dad is screwing my mom. Can we come in?" Krystal informed her, leaving Mrs Wheeler too dumbfounded to reply, as she stepped out of the way for them to enter.

"Maxine has been missing all day and to be honest with you, I've been worried sick, you know" Billy began, as Krystal pushed past Mrs Wheeler to step inside the house.

"Oh" Mrs Wheeler mumbled emphatically, her attention solely on Billy.

"I thought she was at Lucas', but Mrs Sinclair said your house is the designated hangout so…here I am" Billy smirked, his voice low, as he leaned closer to Mrs Wheeler.

Krystal grimaced as she saw Mrs Wheeler lick her lips, fully under Billy's seductive spell. She hated to admit it, but she was jealous. Painfully jealous.

"So! Where's your son?" Krystal exclaimed, making Mrs Wheeler jump from her loud voice.

"Oh, uh…I'm not sure" Mrs Wheeler stuttered, not being able to bring her eyes away from Billy's attractive face.

"You don't know where your son is?" Krystal scoffed, finally getting the older woman's attention.

"Um, I think he said something about going to Will's" Mrs Wheeler suggested, as Krystal's eyes widened.

"Will Byers?" Krystal questioned.

* * *

"Their driveway is pretty dark at this time of night. So drive slowly" Mrs Wheeler warned Billy, as she handed him a note with the Byer's address on it.

"Don't worry…I always take things slow" Billy smirked as he brought a cookie to his mouth and bit into it seductively.

"And when you see Mike tell him to come home already, alright?" Mrs Wheeler requested.

"You're a real lifesaver, you know that?" Billy told her, watching as the older woman flushed.

"Anytime" Mrs Wheeler giggled, as Krystal thought she was going to throw up.

"You should come to visit us more often Krystal…maybe bring your stepbrother" Mrs Wheeler stated, a moment later.

"Well I would Karen. But you see Billy's not really a people person. He's uh…a nervous farter" Krystal retorted, watching as Mrs Wheeler's shocked expression.

"Ha. Isn't she a scream?" Billy exclaimed sarcastically, as he brought his arm around Krystal's shoulder.

"Oh…very funny. Siblings, huh?" Mrs Wheeler laughed.

"Who'd have them?" Billy replied, pulling her to him tightly, his fingertips trailing over her collarbone lightly.

"We won't take up anymore of your time, Karen. Your husband must be wondering where you've got to" Krystal announced, as everyone noticed her venomous tone.

The pair made a hasty exit after that, having gotten what they needed. Billy heard the front door click behind them softly, as they walked back towards his car, his arm still slung around Krystal's shoulder. It was kind of nice, he realised, surprised.

"What the hell was that all about?" Krystal questioned, as they stood beside the car.

"What was what?" Billy grinned, innocently.

"You flirting with that menopausal…hag" Krystal stated, shrugging his arm off her.

"Hag? Wow, you're more jealous than I thought" Billy smirked, as he opened his car door, and stepped inside.

"Jealous?! Jealous of some middle-aged suburban housewife? As if!" Krystal exclaimed, watching as Billy's expression grew smugger as he closed the car door.

"She's got to be the hottest housewife I've ever seen" Billy pointed out, as Krystal joined him in the car.

"She's old enough to be your mother" Krystal insisted.

"Meaning she's probably very experienced" Billy went on, seeing how Krystal was practically seething.

"Well, why don't you go back in and fuck her, then? Enjoy your STD" Krystal grumbled, as Billy couldn't help but laugh.

"I'd rather fuck you instead" Billy smirked, watching as Krystal blushed.

"Not going to happen" Krystal insisted.

"We'll see. The night is young" Billy smirked, as he started the car up.

* * *

"Just let me do the talking here, okay? I don't need you chatting up Joyce Byers. And if Max is here then…is that Steve?" Krystal gaped, as Billy drove up the Byer's driveway.

"Of course it is" Billy rolled his eyes, as he stopped the car and ripped his door open.

"Am I dreaming or is that you, Harrington?" Billy announced, a cigarette on his lips, as he got out of the car.

"Yeah, it's me. Don't cream your pants" Steve sighed, as Billy stripped off his leather jacket with a grin.

"You're flirting with him too now?" Krystal teased, as she exited the car.

"Whiny pretty boys are more your type" Billy suggested, as Steve approached them.

"Now you're calling him pretty? You've definitely got a crush" Krystal whispered in a teasing tone, seeing how riled up Billy was getting.

"What're you two doing here?" Steve questioned, stopping a metre in front of the pair.

"Looking for my stepsister. A little birdie told me she was here" Billy informed him.

"Huh, that's weird. She's not" Steve shrugged.

"Cut the shit, Steve. We know she's here" Krystal insisted, as she took a step forward.

"She needs to come with us. Now" Billy added.

From the closer proximity, Steve was able to see Krystal's red-rimmed eyes, as if she had been crying not long before and remnants of a bloody nose. His eyes widened, as he got a sinking feeling in his stomach.

"Did you hit her?" Steve inquired, as Krystal and Billy looked at him in disbelief.

"What the hell did you say to me?" Billy hissed, stepping into Steve's personal space, with a furious expression.

"Right, and he beat himself up afterwards too?" Krystal scoffed, making Steve frown.

Steve took a closer look at Billy and was able to see the bruises that had begun to bloom on his face, and the red mark covering his neck. He was guarding his left side, and even though he hid it well, Steve could tell he was in pain. He had beaten, badly.

"Well, can you blame me for thinking that? He did attack me at Halloween" Steve pointed out.

"And I'm just itching to do it again, Harrington" Billy warned, as Krystal placed a hand on his shoulder.

"We're taking Max. End of story" Krystal exclaimed.

"She doesn't want to go with you. Why do you think I came out here" Steve retorted, not missing the hurt that flashed across Krystal's face.

Before she could say anything else, Billy roughly tackled Steve and sent him flying onto his back. Billy was feeling reckless that night, anyone could see that.

"We weren't asking" Billy growled, as he sent his foot slamming against Steve's chest.

"That's enough!" Krystal announced, as she grabbed Billy's arm and began dragging him away.

"The little prick deserved it" Billy huffed, pulling away from her hold, as they marched towards the house.

"God, do you always have to take things too far?" Krystal complained as they stopped in front of the door.

"Yeah. Yeah, I do" Billy replied, as he ripped the front door open.

"Well, well, well. Lucas Sinclair. What a surprise" Billy exclaimed, as his eyes landed on the boy standing next to his stepsister.

Krystal followed him into the Byer's house, as Billy slammed the door behind him, causing a large bang which made the kids jump. She suddenly became worried about what Billy might do.

"I thought I told you to stay away from him, Max" Billy stated, coming to stop in front of the ginger girl.

"Billy, go away" Max retorted.

"Well, I would but my dad isn't going to let me in the door without you. So let's go" Billy insisted, as he grabbed Max's arm and began to drag her towards the door.

"Get off of her!" Lucas yelled, as he shoved Billy in the back, with a surprising amount of strength.

"Oh, you are so dead, Sinclair. You're dead" Billy hissed, balling his hands into fists.

Krystal could see Billy was coiled so tightly, it looked like he was about to explode. She had no idea what he was going to do. Not knowing what else to do, she grabbed his hand, which was practically shaking with rage, as he whipped his head around to look at her.

"He's not worth it, Billy. He's just a dumb kid" Krystal insisted, seeing the anger in his eyes.

Billy looked back to Lucas, the confidence that the boy had moments ago, was quickly fading. He looked scared. They all looked scared. Scared of him, Billy realised. Just like he had been of his dad hours ago. He looked back to Krystal, who's sad blue eyes bore into his own.

_You don't have to be like your dad, Billy. You can be better. _

Krystal still believed that was true. She was the only person who thought that, and he couldn't lose that. He let go of Max's arm, who instantly looked relieved if a little confused.

"Neil came home and realised that you had snuck out. We had to deal with the consequences" Krystal accused, as Max noted the bruises that were beginning to show on Billy's cheek.

"Shit…" Max trailed off, with a guilty expression.

"He's the one who hit you?" Steve questioned, as everyone turned to see him walking through the door.

"We don't need your pity, Harrington" Billy grimaced.

"I can't go with you" Max announced, as Krystal looked down at her, dumbfounded.

"Seriously, Max? I've been trying to not guilt trip you but you're making it really difficult right now" Krystal scoffed.

"I just…can't okay? It's too hard to explain" Max sighed.

"Explain what?" Krystal frowned.  
Max opened her mouth to reply, when they suddenly heard a strange growling sound from outside. Everyone turned to the front door that Steve had left opened, as they heard the sound get nearer.

"Uh, what the hell is that?" Krystal inquired, feeling the hair on the back of her neck stand on end.

"Shit, they must have followed us from the junkyard" Steve mumbled.

"What followed you?" Billy asked, squinting as he saw a small creature not far away from the front door.

"Close it! Close it!" Dustin cried, as the creature suddenly sprinted forward.

Steve was the first to react, as he rushed forward to slam the door shut. However, the creature was pushing the door back against him before he could close it properly. Krystal ran forward to help him, watching in horror as the creature wrapped its teeth around Steve's leg. Her jaw dropped open as she saw its head was made of razor-sharp teeth. It was like a dog mixed with a venus fly trap, and it absolutely terrified her. She tried to push the door shut, but the creature pulled at Steve's leg harder, almost pulling him out of the door. Out of nowhere, Billy appeared with a crowbar and sent it slamming down onto the creature's head, which yelped in pain. Steve cried in relief as the creature let go of his leg and Billy was able to hit it once again. Krystal watched on as he sent the crowbar down onto the creature's head repeatedly, until it was nothing more than a gooey mess. It was surprisingly hot, she thought to herself. Once he was sure the creature was dead, he shut the door, and turned to Steve.

"You're welcome" He stated, still panting.

"That was awesome" Dustin mumbled, earning a glare from Lucas.

"What the fuck was that?!" Krystal yelled, starting to freak out.

"It's from the Upside Down" Steve informed her, clutching as his bleeding leg.

"Is that one of the things that killed Nancy's friend?" Krystal questioned.

"No…the thing that killed her was much bigger" Steve replied, as Krystal looked horrified.

"A Demogorgon" Dustin added.

"A what?" Billy frowned, in confusion.

"Demogorgon" Dustin repeated.

"Does he speak English?" Krystal asked Max.

"Wait, you know about the Upside Down?" Max gaped at her older sister.

"It's too hard to explain" Krystal repeated what Max had said only minutes ago.

Steve grimaced as he pulled his hand away from his ankle and saw the blood that was seeping out of the numerous holes in his skin. He was surprised when Billy gripped him by the shoulders and practically dragged him towards the couch, not uttering a word. Krystal quickly rushed into the kitchen, grabbing a towel and went to crouch in front of him, worry on her face. Steve hissed loudly as she pressed it against the wound, trying to stem the flow of blood.

"You alright, man? Steve!" Billy exclaimed, shaking the boy roughly when he noticed that Steve was slipping out of consciousness.

"Fuck, Steve! Hey, can you hear me?" Krystal cried, noticing how much Steve's leg was still bleeding.

"Is he gonna' be alright?" Lucas questioned, as the kids came to surround them.

"He needs to get to a hospital. Now" Krystal advised.

"But what about the Gate. El won't be able to close it if we don't distract the demodogs" Mike panicked, as the two older teens looked at him in confusion.

"Who the hell is El?" Krystal frowned.

"Eleven" Mike corrected himself, as Krystal's head snapped up to look at him.

"Eleven's here?" Krystal gasped, sharing a look with Billy.

"You know her?" Mike inquired, as Krystal nodded.

"Uh guys, he really doesn't look good" Dustin stated, sitting next to Steve who was still unconscious.

"I think he's gone into shock" Krystal bit her lip.

"Right, time to go" Billy announced, as he grabbed Steve and pulled him up bridal style.

Krystal could barely contain her laughter at the sight, having never expected to see Billy holding the other boy so intimately.

"Don't even say it" Billy grumbled, knowing what Krystal was thinking.

* * *

"Steve?" Krystal questioned, when she saw the older boy stirring as he was wheeled down the bright corridor of the ER.

"Krystal? Hey. Have there always been three of you?" Steve queried, rubbing his eyes.

"You've lost a lot of blood. But you're gonna' be okay now. I promise" Krystal insisted, taking his hand in her own.

"I'm glad you're here" Steve smiled up at her, as he was wheeled into a small bay.

"Krys…I think we better go before the kids steal my car" Billy warned her, following the trolley a few moments later.

"I can't just leave him" Krystal stated.

"I'll be fine" Steve shook his head, as Krystal looked conflicted.

"Go. It's okay…You look after her" Steve insisted, as he placed Krystal's hand that was still touching his, towards Billy.

Billy seemed a little taken aback, as Krystal intertwined their fingers. Billy slowly nodded to Steve, before he began to pull her away. It felt like there was another meaning to the interaction that had just happened. Did Steve know something had happened between them? His thoughts were quickly distracted when he saw Max in the front seat of his car.

"That is not happening, Max! Out. Now!" Billy yelled, as he stormed over.

Max reluctantly got out of the driver's seat, her eyes settling on where Billy was still holding Krystal's hand. He quickly let go, not liking how Max's lips twitched into a smile when she saw their interlocked fingers.

"They think he'll be okay?" Dustin inquired, as Krystal nodded.

"Yeah. He might have to stay in hospital for a couple of days. But he'll be alright" Krystal announced, much to the relief of the kids.

"Good. Now we can go to the tunnels" Mike announced.

"What tunnels?" Billy frowned.

"There's tunnels that the Mindflayer has made all over Hawkins, that connect to the hub of all it's activity. If we can burn down the hub, we can distract them and give El enough time to close the gate" Mike explained.

"I have no idea what you just said but you lost me at burning shit" Krystal stated.

"If we don't close the gate tonight more people are gonna' die!" Lucas exclaimed.

"It's not our job, kid. And there's no way I'm dying in some dark stupid tunnel tonight" Billy insisted.

"How about dying right here, right now?" Dustin mumbled, as he pointed to something behind Billy.

Krystal felt her heart stop as she saw two demodogs approaching them, with low growls, as their sharp teeth glittered in the streetlight.

"Get in the car" Krystal whispered.

"What?" Max gulped; her eyes fixated on the creatures in front of them.

"All of you. Get in the car. Now" Krystal hissed, as she took a step back to quietly open the passenger door for them.

"What about you?" Max questioned, as Krystal wouldn't look at her.

"I guess you win the bet" Krystal said to Billy, who turned to her in confusion.

Before he could say anything else, she leaned forward and pressed a quick kiss to his lips. She let her forehead rest against his own for a moment, his eyes still closed. Suddenly, she pulled away and waved her arms towards the demodogs, a determined look in her eyes.

"Hey, you ugly shits! Come and get it!" Krystal exclaimed, as she went off sprinting away from the hospital.

"Krystal!" Billy called after her, as he saw the demodogs galloping towards her.

"Krys!" Billy screamed, his heart sinking as he saw them catching up with her.


	12. What Has She Done?

Billy's feet were moving before his brain had time to catch up, rushing after Krystal who had disappeared into the forest at the edge of the car park. He ran quicker than he ever had before, not listening as he heard Max calling his name. He needed to get to Krystal. The demodogs had been snapping at her heels the last he had seen, and he doubted she had gotten too far. As he sprinted through the treeline, his surroundings became even darker and he cursed himself for not grabbing a flashlight. How was he going to find her?

"Krystal! Krystal?!" He yelled, whipping his head around to listen out for any noise.

He knew the demodogs would be able to hear him, but he didn't care. At least if they were chasing him, maybe she would be able to get away. Billy's legs burnt as he finally came to a halt, leaning against a nearby tree for support. A faraway scream caught his attention, as he set off towards the sound. Billy's heart stopped for a moment as he saw one of the demodogs on top of Krystal, it's large rows of teeth snapping near her face. She had her hand wrapped around the creature's neck, keeping it away from her face, but it didn't look like she would be able to hold out for much longer. Billy frantically wracked his brain for how he could get the demodog away from her, his hands searching his jeans for any type of weapon. His eyes widened in horror as the beast lowered its head to the left and lunged forward, biting Krystal's abdomen viciously. She let out a blood-curdling scream as the creature pierced through her skin. Before he knew what he was doing, Billy had lunged at the creature, ripping it away from Krystal. Billy and the demodog rolled away from the bleeding girl, as Billy managed to land on top. He kept his arm clamped down against the demodogs neck as it strained against him, snapping angrily. Billy let out a cry as its sharp claws cut deep into his chest, just underneath his collarbone. He relieved some of the pressure against the demodogs neck as he tried to get away from its claws, but this only gave the demodog the advantage to shove Billy onto his back. The moment the creature had the upper hand, it lunged at Billy's chest with its sharp teeth, as Billy screamed in pain. The demodog sank its teeth deeper as Billy fought against it, his hands flailing around madly. His eyes shot open when the creature suddenly stilled against his skin, and he felt a liquid splatter against his face. He looked down to see a branch was now impaled through the demodogs head, with Krystal holding the other end. She roughly pulled the creature's corpse away from his chest, as blood began to pool from Billy's abdomen. She then all but collapsed beside him, blood splattering onto the ground from her own wound.

"Are you okay?" Krystal asked, worry clear on her face.

"It's just a scratch" Billy shrugged, as he pushed himself into a sitting position, placing his hand against his bleeding wound.

"You saved me" Krystal stated, as she pushed herself onto her knees.

"Think about all the shit my dad would give me if you died" Billy retorted, watching Krystal stand up with shaky legs.

"Billy…" Krystal sighed, as they both knew that wasn't the reason.

"…I didn't want to lose you" Billy admitted, in a voice so quiet Krystal almost missed it.

Billy jumped a little when Krystal held her hand out to him, ushering for him to take it. He gratefully did so, as she helped pull him up, groaning from the strain. Billy couldn't meet her eyes but could see she had a small smile on her face.

"Thank you" Krystal exclaimed, as Billy nodded.

He dropped his head onto her shoulder, almost too exhausted to even stand, as she wrapped her arms around his back. Billy's hands slowly trailed around her waist as he leaned against her, the adrenaline from the fight quickly fading. His whole body ached, every bone in his body…but Krystal was safe.

* * *

The two teenagers slowly trudged back to the car, leaning on each other for support, as blood dripped down their clothes. Krystal had realised that the demodog had bit them both in almost the exact same position. Compared to the bite the other demodog had given Steve, the pair had come off lucky. Their wounds were more superficial, but it was the second fight that Billy had been involved in that night and Krystal could see he was close to passing out. As they exited the treeline, they quickly spotted by the kids who all looked incredibly relieved to see them. Max was the first to sprint forward and practically bowled Krystal over as she hugged her. Krystal beamed as she hugged her sister back tightly, happy that she and the others were safe.

"I thought…I thought you were…" Max sniffled, tears running down her cheeks.

"I'm not going anywhere, I promise" Krystal replied, as she pressed a kiss to Max's forehead.

Max's attention was then pulled to Billy who was clutching at his chest, his shirt completely drenched in his own blood. Max let out a sob as she quickly wrapped her arms around him, not giving him a chance to stop her. Billy's arms hung loosely at his side; the shock of Max's actions clear on his face. Apart from Krystal he couldn't remember the last time someone had hugged him. He patted the ginger girl on the back awkwardly, his lips twitching into a small smile at the affection he was receiving.

"You two look like shit" Mike announced, as the rest of the kids approached them.

"Thanks" Krystal laughed, grimacing at the pain from her abdomen when she did so.

"What happened?" Dustin inquired, looking a little sick when he spotted the blood plastered against their skin.

"Billy here thought it was a good idea to wrestle with one of those things" Krystal informed them, as Dustin's eyes widened.

"…Dude, you're awesome!" Dustin exclaimed, as Max pulled away from Billy.

Krystal had to bite her lip to stop her from laughing at the proud look Billy had from receiving the statement. She reckoned he had never gotten so much praise in his life.

"Guys, we need to get going. El needs us" Mike insisted.

"You can't be serious! Billy and I can barely stand, we can't protect you guys" Krystal explained.

"You can't come with us. You need to go into the ER" Max advised.

"We're not letting you little shits go on your own" Billy retorted, as he began walking back to the car.

"Billy, you can't drive. You've lost too much blood" Krystal pointed out.

"Then who is gonna' drive? Max?" Billy scoffed, as Krystal gave him a look.

"Oh no…" Max trailed off, when she realised what Krystal was thinking.

"Max, give me the keys" Krystal announced, as she watched horror wash over Billy's face.

"No way, you're not driving my car!" Billy insisted, as Max reluctantly handed the keys over to Krystal.

"Guys, c'mon! I'm not that bad" Krystal exclaimed, as Max and Billy shared a look.

"I survived an attack from a damn dog from hell, and now my step-sister is gonna' crash my car" Billy groaned.

"Oh, don't be so dramatic! It won't be like my last driving lesson…I know which pedal the brakes are now" Krystal mumbled, as Billy's eyes widened.

"We're all gonna' die" Max stated, as Krystal opened the driver's door.

"Right, who wants to ride shotgun?" She called out, as everyone quickly started to pile into the backseat.

"Oh, c'mon!" Billy complained, when he realised, he was too late and would have to join Krystal in the passenger seat.

"Alright, seatbelts everyone! This might get a little bumpy" Krystal announced, as Billy flopped into his seat with a groan.

She looked into the mirror to see the kids holding on tightly to anything they could get their hands on, apprehensive looks on her face. She put the keys in the ignition and started the car with a roll of her eyes. The next second the car lurched forward instead of backing up, and almost went through the wall in front of them.

"…That was just a test…" Krystal trailed off, with a sheepish expression.

* * *

"Well, that wasn't so bad was it" Krystal announced, as she pressed on the brakes just a metre before the hole where the tunnels started.

"I think I'm gonna' be sick" Lucas complained, as he shoved past her and ripped open the front door.

"Never again" Max added, as she followed him, her face even paler than usual.

"Were you trying to hit all those bins?" Mike complained as he exited the car too, only leaving Dustin in the back.

"…You didn't crash the car…so that's good, right…?" Dustin trailed off, as Krystal sighed.

She moved forward to let him exit the car too and turned to Billy who was still clutching onto his car seat. She couldn't help but laugh at his terrified expression, beginning to giggle uncontrollably. Billy turned to her with a dumbfounded expression, only making Krystal laugh harder.

"Oh, you think this is funny, huh?" Billy scoffed, as Krystal nodded, clutching at her stomach as she giggled.

"Yeah, I really do" Krystal grinned, as Billy shook his head fondly.

Slowly Krystal's laugh began to die down, as she continued to stare at Billy, who could see there was something she wanted to say. His forehead wrinkled as she suddenly leaned forward pressing a chaste kiss against his lips, before pulling away just as quickly.

"What was that for?" Billy inquired.

"…I don't know, I just wanted to" Krystal shrugged, before pulling herself out of the car, leaving Billy sitting there.

He placed his fingertips against his lips, still having the feel of Krystal's lips against his own. He felt his face heat up slightly and realised he was blushing. Since when did Billy Hargrove blush, he thought in annoyance. He jumped when there was a sudden knock on his window and saw Dustin standing there, a grin on his face and a thumbs up.

"What the hell am I doing with my life?" Billy groaned.

* * *

"So, what's going on with you two?" Max questioned; her voice muffled by the bandana around her mouth.

They had all reluctantly lowered themselves into the tunnels, with Billy and his newfound admirer Dustin in the front, and Krystal and Max at the back of the group. Krystal had been dreading Max to bringing up their stepbrother and his relationship with her.

"Honestly? I have no idea. It's been a crazy week" Krystal huffed, looking at the boy a few metres in front of them.

"You like him, he likes you…it sounds pretty simple to me" Max pointed out.

"He's our stepbrother, Max. It's wrong on so many levels" Krystal retorted.

"But he's better when you're with him. I almost like him when he's like this" Max admitted, making Krystal chuckle.

"…It's not going to work. If Neil ever found out about…whatever we are, he'd kill us both. Slowly and painfully" Krystal explained.

"Maybe I could help you two sneak around, then you could-" Max started, but Krystal cut her off.

"What about you and Lucas, huh?" Krystal interjected, trying to change the subject quickly.

"What about him?" Max shrugged, as Krystal scoffed, and nudged her little sister.

"Max and Lucas, sitting in a tree, K-I-S-S-" Krystal was cut off, as Max placed her hand over her mouth, cringing when Lucas turned around, clearly confused.

"Your so immature" Max grumbled, making Krystal giggle.

"You should tell him how you feel. I might be destined to be single for the foreseeable future, but you don't have to" Krystal insisted.

"Maybe…" Max trailed off, a blush rising on her cheeks.

"I'm glad your talking to me again" Max mumbled, a moment later.

"You know that had nothing to do with you, right? I've just been in a bad place this past year. It's been my problem, not yours" Krystal explained, as Max slowly nodded.

"What happens once this is all over? Does everything just go back to how it used to be?" Max inquired, with a worried expression.

"I hope not" Krystal muttered, her eyes flittering back over to Billy.

Their plan seemed to go off without a hitch at first, as they were easily able to drench the hub that joined all the tunnels with gasoline. Billy was the one who set fire to the sinister roots that surrounded the tunnel, as they heard it practically screech in pain. It was so alive. They were followed by one of the demodogs, but both the older teens were surprised when Dustin seemed to have a relationship with the creature. He was able to safely get them around the demodog and soon enough they thought they'd be free. Krystal felt the hairs on the back of her neck stand on end when they heard loud growls from behind them. The demodogs were coming and they sounded pissed. They soon found the entrance to the tunnels and pushed Max up first, as she was both Krystal and Billy's main priority. Just as they were pushing the last child, Dustin up to his friends, the first demodog was rounding the corner.

"Shit…" Krystal gasped, as the creature came charging towards them.

They had no weapons and there was no way they could get out in time. They were well and truly trapped. Krystal could hear Max screaming her name as Billy pushed her behind him, his arm protectively held out in front of her. Krystal scrunched her eyes shut just before the demodog pounced on them. However, no attack ever came. Her eyes slowly opened to find the demodog staring at the pair in confusion. It tilted its head at them before running past them. Before they could think too much about the creature's strange actions, a larger group were sprinting towards them. They too came to a halt in front of the pair but seemed to quickly dismiss them and shoved past them.

"…You okay?" Billy questioned Krystal, who he could feel was still shaking behind him.

"I think I just had a minor heart attack…but fine apart from that" Krystal muttered, as Billy chuckled lightly.

* * *

Krystal liked hospitals. She knew it was a strange way to feel, but it was a safe place for her. No abusive parents. No need to be scared. Not to mention three meals a day, her own shower and as much time as she wanted to sleep in. She was surprised when she had been given her own private room but decided not to question it. When she had been wheeled into the room from the ER that morning, she had been too tired to even talk. But she still fought against the nurses when they went to take Billy away. She knew he was in safe hands but under the harsh fluorescent lights, she realised his injuries were worse than she had first thought. They had wheeled him away quickly on a gurney, as she heard talk of him going straight into theatres. Whenever a nurse or doctor entered the room her first question was always whether Billy was okay, when could she see him? She was placated when a nurse had told him a few hours ago that he was out of theatres and in a stable condition. She should have gotten him to the hospital quicker. When her door opened a little while later, she hoped it would have been Max, but instead it was a police officer. Jim Hopper. She had been wondering how long it would be until he showed up. While they were in the ER Max had explained how Hopper was connected to Eleven, and it made Krystal sick to her stomach.

"You knew" Krystal announced, stopping Hopper before he could even open his mouth.

"You knew that my father didn't kill himself, didn't you?" Krystal insisted, as Hopper slowly nodded.

"It was too dangerous-" Hopper began, but she cut him off.

"He was your friend. And you just let his memory rot. Why?!" Krystal shouted her lip curling up in anger.

"To protect her! To protect Eleven…I couldn't tell anyone. I couldn't draw attention to myself. I'm sorry" Hopper explained, as he came to sit on a seat next to her hospital bed.

"…Is she okay? Eleven?" Krystal questioned, a moment later.

"Yeah. Yeah, she's a strong kid. You are too" Hopper stated, as Krystal looked away from him.

"Is my mom's insurance covering all this? What about Billy's treatment?" Krystal couldn't help but ask.

"Actually Steve Harrington has offered to pay all your medical bills. Billy's too. Something about wanting to make things up to you" Hopper informed her, shocking Krystal for a moment.

"That sounds like him" She mumbled, a small smile on her face.

"I need to talk to you about what happened to you and your stepbrother" Hopper announced.

"The truth or the official story?" Krystal scoffed, picking at her nails nervously.

"How about what happened before the demodogs attacked?" Hopper clarified as Krystal's eyes snapped up to his.

"I…I need to speak to Billy" Krystal told him, as Hopper huffed out a laugh.

"Funny. He's just asked to speak to you first as well" Hopper sighed.

* * *

Billy's room was on the same floor as hers, but he was being kept in the high dependency unit. Krystal had panicked when she had heard that, but Hopper quickly reassured her that Billy would make a full recovery. Krystal's heart stopped for a moment when Hopper wheeled her through the doorway, and she saw Billy for the first time. The whole left side of his face was bruised, and even from metres away she could see the marks covering his neck. Worst of all were the bandages covering most of his chest, as she could see the one underneath his collarbone was already beginning to bleed. He looked half dead.

"The claw and bite marks on his chest will scar, but they should heal fine. They weren't the problem. He had internal bleeding from his abdomen, they had to rush him to theatre. They know the 'rabid dogs' didn't do that. Or the strangulation marks around his neck. You two need to think very carefully before making your statements" Hopper advised her, as he finished pushing her to Billy's bedside.

"Can I have some time alone with him?" Krystal asked, reaching out to touch Billy's cold hand.

"Sure, kid. I'll be outside" Hopper smiled, quietly closing the door behind him.

"Billy? Hey, can you hear me?" Krystal questioned, squeezing his hand as his eyes fluttered open.

"You okay?" Billy croaked, wetting his dry lips.

"Are you really asking me that right now? You look terrible" Krystal sighed, still holding onto his hand.

"You really know how to kick someone while they're down, huh Krys?" Billy smirked, as he pushed himself upright into a sitting position.

"Fuck, Billy. They said they had to operate on you…if I had known how bad it was, I never would have-" Krystal cried, but Billy shushed her before she could go on.

"I'm fine. I'll have a date with my nurse by the end of the day" Billy grinned, as Krystal swatted his arm playfully.

"You sure you're okay? It must hurt" Krystal stated, her eyes wandering down his chest.

"Well, I can think of a few things that would make me feel better if you're offering" Billy suggested, wiggling his eyebrows mischievously.

"It's time to think with your head, not your dick. The Chief's asking questions" Krystal informed him, as Billy looked out of the window to see Hopper talking into his walkie-talkie.

"What did you say to him?" Billy queried.

"Nothing. I wanted to talk to you first" Krystal replied.

"We stick to the rabid dog's story, it's pretty simple" Billy pointed out.

"Or…we could tell the truth" Krystal exclaimed, biting her lip nervously.

"Please tell me you're not talking about what happened with my dad. You're not that dumb, Krystal" Billy scoffed, pulling his hand away roughly from her touch.

"We can't just act like this didn't happen. He could have killed you! This has to stop, Billy!" Krystal insisted.

"They won't do anything. Look at what happened with you and your foster parents! If my dad finds out I talked to the cops about him…" Billy trailed off, with more fear in his eyes that Krystal had seen all day.

"What if he moves on from you, huh? What if he starts hitting me? Or Max-" Krystal began, but Billy cut her off quickly.

"He won't! I wouldn't let him" Billy told her, a dark tone in his voice.

"I'm tired of living in fear, Billy. Aren't you?" Krystal sighed, as Billy's eyes snapped down to look at her.

"…It won't end well" Billy told her.

"I don't want to force you into anything you don't want to do. If you think it's better to just say nothing…then that's what I'll do too" Krystal explained, as Billy mulled over her comment.

Telling Hopper what had happened the day before was harder than Billy had expected. He hated how weak he sounded. Krystal had stayed with him throughout the questioning, at his own request. Billy refused to go into details about when the abuse started or even call it what it was. He had to admit it did feel like a weight off his shoulders at finally telling an adult, even if they were a police officer. He was glad the Chief gave him no pitying looks as he recounted his story.

"Right…I think I've got all I need" Hopper announced, as he closed the pad he had been writing on.

"He hit Krystal too. I just…you should know that" Billy informed him, as Krystal looked away uncomfortably.

"That where you got the bloody nose you came in with?" Hopper inquired, watching Krystal reluctantly nod.

"Max is going to stay with her mom in a motel while we sort this all out. Krystal, you will probably be released from the hospital tomorrow, you can go live with your mom after that, okay?" Hopper suggested, gaining another nod from the girl.

"What about me?" Billy asked.

"The doctors tell me you'll need to stay in for at least a few more days. After that…it'll be up to Ms Mayfield" Hopper explained, as Billy realised what it could mean.

"I'll talk to my mom. We'll sort something out" Krystal tried to reassure him, placing her hand on his shoulder.

Krystal saw how Hopper seemed confused by her behaviour and wondered how much he had seen through the window beforehand. Surely Max wouldn't have been stupid enough to tell the officer about Billy and Krystal's odd relationship?

* * *

The next day rolled around quickly, as Krystal was able to walk to Billy's room unaided this time. Max had brought in a new outfit for her, meaning she could get out of the ugly hospital gown she had been forced to wear. The ginger girl had even brought in some of her makeup, which made Krystal start to feel normal again. The smile on her face faded immediately when she recognised a familiar voice from inside Billy's room. She ripped open the door to find Neil sitting on his son's bed, with a doctor and police officer she didn't recognise standing not far behind. Her eyes quickly connected with Billy's, spotting the fear that lay there.

"Krystal! Honey, are you okay? Sorry I haven't been to visit, but there was some nasty business I had to get sorted out at the station" Neil announced, a shit-eating grin on his face when he spotted her.

"Where's Max and mom?" Krystal inquired, not sure what else to say.

"Oh, they're back at home. I got them the moment I was released…the Doctors were just saying that Billy will be able to come home tomorrow" Neil informed her.

"I said he could. He'll need regular pain medications, not to mention a follow up-" The Doctor who looked to be no older than twenty-five began, but the police officer cut him off.

"Neil will make sure he does. My apologises for all that mess down at the station. Where my colleagues got the idea that there was domestic violence happening in your home, I don't know" The police officer exclaimed, as Neil's eyes snapped up to Krystal's.

"Well, no harm, no foul. I'm just happy we're all back together now…" Neil trailed off, standing up from the bed and coming to stand in front of Krystal.

"I'm so glad you're okay, Krystal. I promise from now on…I won't let be letting either of you out of my sight" Neil told her, placing his hand on her shoulder and squeezing to the point it became painful.

** _What the hell had she done?_ **


	13. Ground Rules

The drive back from the hospital was one of the worst twenty minutes of Krystal's life. Her leg bobbed up and down anxiously, as she made sure to avert her eyes from Neil's the whole drive. She had been reluctant to even get in the car with the older man, but it was clear that she had no choice. Neil was silent the whole time, but she could tell there was a silent fury there just waiting to be unleashed. She just wished he would get it over with…whatever it was going to be. She almost let out a sigh of relief when they pulled into the drive, as she thought maybe he was going to let it go. Boy, was she wrong.

"Seventeen years…" Neil trailed off; his hands wrapped tightly against the steering wheel.

"What?" Krystal frowned, completely lost.

"Seventeen years I've looked after that boy, and not once has he said a bad word to anyone about me. Then after just a few weeks of living with you, he's going to the Chief of police. What am I to think of that, Krystal?" Neil questioned, turning to her.

"I'm assuming this is the first time you've given him internal bleeding, maybe that has something to do with it" Krystal pointed out, venom clear in her voice.

"And there it is…talking back again. Didn't your father raise you better?" Neil scoffed, not missing the hurt flash over Krystal's face.

"How did you get the charges dropped?" Krystal inquired, wanting to change the subject quickly.

"Billy recanted his statement. No victim, no case" Neil replied, simply.

"You threatened him?" Krystal guessed, as Neil barked a harsh laugh.

"Now what kind of father do you take me for" Neil exclaimed.

"I want to go inside now" Krystal told him, as she reached for the door handle.

She gulped quietly as the door suddenly locked and turned back to Neil who was glaring at her, an angry expression on his face.

"You'll leave when I let you. Now…I don't like the influence you have over my son. You two have been spending far too much time together" Neil explained, as Krystal looked at him with a dumbfounded expression.

"You're the one who said you wanted us to get along" Krystal pointed out.

"And now I say you're getting along a little too well. You're becoming a problem, Krystal. I don't tolerate problems in my household" Neil went on, as Krystal had to fight the urge to roll her eyes.

"Well, it's a shame you can't get rid of me then" Krystal muttered, as Neil snorted.

"You really think your mother would even notice if you were gone? Max would move on, just like she did last time your mother dumped you. And Billy? He pities you. No one would miss you, Krystal. Only your father…and he's dead" Neil spat out, as Krystal looked away from him.

She was distracted as the door to the house was ripped open and a familiar figure came rushing towards the car. Krystal smiled as she watched Max bound over to them, as Neil reluctantly unlocked the car door. Krystal instantly jumped out and pulled her little sister into a hug, as Max wrapped her arms around Krystal's shoulders.

"Max…I can't breathe" Krystal chuckled, due to Max's vicelike grip around her.

"Sorry, I'm just glad your back" Max grinned, pulling away.

"Glad to be back. You okay?" Krystal questioned, as Neil exited the car to stand near them.

"…Yeah. I'm fine" Max nodded, not missing the way Neil was looming over them.

"Don't you have some homework to be getting on with, Maxine?" Neil suggested, crossing his arms.

"But Krystal-" Max begun but was quickly cut off by her sister.

"He's right. Go on, I'll come talk to you later" Krystal replied, ushering Max back towards the house.

"Okay…" Max trailed off, an uneasy expression on her face.

Krystal could still sense the anger rolling off Neil and didn't want Max anywhere near him. The older man seemed ready to snap at the smallest thing. Krystal knew she had to play smart otherwise things would get much worse in the Hargrove household. However, that all went flying out the window when her eyes landed on her mother. She kept her mouth shut until Max was safely in her bedroom, the door closing with a soft sound.

"Hi Mom" Krystal greeted, hearing the front door close behind her.

Her mother's reaction certainly wasn't what she was expecting. Krystal knew how bad she looked, from the cuts and bruises that covered her face and neck, to the way she hunched over because of her stomach wound. All things that would worry most mothers…but not hers.

"What were you thinking, Krystal? Talking to the police…you…you've disappointed me" Susan announced, her eyes looking behind Krystal to her husband throughout.

"I've disappointed you? Me?! I've been in the hospital for two days and you haven't even come to see me! I almost died this week and you…you don't even care!" Krystal shouted, marching forward, with a fire burning in her eyes.

"You shouldn't have been in the forest in the first place. You were supposed to be looking for Maxine" Susan stated, as Krystal scoffed harshly.

"I was! I was looking out for her like I always do, not that I'd expect you to understand that" Krystal retorted.

"I have always done my best for you and Maxine-" Susan began, but Krystal quickly cut her off by shoving her in the chest.

"You abandoned me! You don't care, you never have! I…I wish you weren't my mother" Krystal spat out, shocked by her own words.

Susan flinched as if she had been slapped, hurt clear in her eyes. Krystal didn't feel even a sliver of guilt, it felt good to finally say what she had been thinking for half her life. Any relief she had been feeling quickly dissipated as a hand grabbed her shoulder, pulling her around. Before she could react, a hard slap to her face almost sent her flying into Susan. Krystal clutched at her painful cheek as she looked up at Neil, fear seeping into her bones. In the next second, Neil had lunged forward and punched her in the stomach, just under where her wound was. She fell to her knees, gasping for her air, but Neil still wouldn't let up. He sent a hard kick to her abdomen, throwing her onto her back, as she scrunched her eyes shut. Krystal let out a scream as Neil kicked her wound directly, as pain coursed through her body like lightning.

"Apologise to your mother" Neil exclaimed, grabbing her by the collar of her shirt and pulling her upright.

"Apologise!" Neil shouted, shaking her.

"I'm sorry! I'm sorry…I'm sorry" Krystal cried, flinching away from him.

"Now things are going to change around here from now on. You do what I tell you, or there will be consequences. You will treat your mother with the respect she deserves, and you will stay away from Billy. Do I make myself clear?" Neil told her, as Krystal nodded.

"I didn't hear you" Neil stated, gripping onto her collar harder.

"Yes, sir" Krystal replied.

"Child protective services will be calling by next week, I expect you to be on your best behaviour…or I might just turn my attention to Maxine" Neil whispered in her ear before he dropped her back to the floor.

Krystal rolled onto her side to look up at her mother, as Neil began to usher Susan out of the room. From the lightning on Susan's face, she could now see the beginning of a black eye that she hadn't noticed before. Susan flinched slightly as Neil gripped onto her wrist and all but dragged her away.

"Mom…" Krystal cried, as a tear rolled down her cheek.

Susan didn't look behind her, as Neil turned off the lights in the room, leaving Krystal in darkness. She couldn't help the sob that escaped from her lips, as she tried to stop herself from crying. She slowly pushed herself into a sitting position, hissing in pain as she clutched at her abdomen. She grimaced as she felt her shirt was wet and realised that her wound must have started to bleed again. Using a nearby chair to push herself to her feet, she stumbled towards the bathroom to find the first aid kit. She turned the light on and quickly wished she hadn't. There were tear tracks all over her face, not to mention a cut on her cheek that wasn't there before. She looked pathetic. Krystal leaned over to turn the light off again and grabbed the first aid kit from the cupboard. Taking a roll of bandage out, she rolled up her top and pulled the crepe over her stomach a few times, hoping it would stop the bleeding. Her hands shook as she tried to wash the blood away. Her blood. With a shake of her head, she began to walk out of the bathroom towards her bedroom. She stopped outside Max's door and making a split-second decision, she walked inside. Max was sitting upright in bed, her knees pulled to her chest, as she hid her head. Her eyes snapped up when she saw Krystal enter the room. Max opened her mouth to talk, but Krystal quickly placed a finger to her own lips. The last thing she wanted to do was talk. But she didn't want to be alone. Max scooted over to make room for her big sister in her bed, as Krystal got under the covers. Settling back down, Max fell asleep quickly, seeming to feel safer in Krystal's presence. The older girl did not find it so easy, her eyes trained on the door at the side of the bed, fear still deep in her bones.

* * *

Krystal couldn't keep the smile off her face when she was told Billy would be returning home a few days later. Neil had refused to let her visit him in hospital, and even Max had only been allowed to see him once. The usually stubborn sisters had not said a word against Neil his fight with Krystal, both too scared by what their stepfather might do. Any happiness about Billy coming home was quashed when Neil told her she wouldn't be allowed to come to the hospital to collect him. She was embarrassed by how much she had been missing the blond, from his sharp retorts to his cocky smile. Maybe she had been spending too much time with him. Max and Krystal stood by the door as they heard Neil's car pull up in the drive, while Susan stayed in the kitchen, getting dinner ready. She hadn't been able to look Krystal in the eye for days and had been avoiding her around the house. Billy all but stumbled through the front door, clutching at his abdomen more with every move. He came to a halt when he saw Krystal standing a few metres away, a beaming smile on her face.

"Hey Krys" He grinned back, as Krystal felt her heart flutter at the words.

"Hey" She smiled back, their eyes never leaving each other.

"Did the doctors give you the all-clear?" Max questioned, as Neil entered the room.

"Yeah…maybe no basketball for a couple of weeks though" Billy mumbled, pulling his eyes from Krystal.

"They're calling you the Hero of Hawkins at school. Dustin told everyone how you wrestled with…one of the rabid dogs" Max informed him, making Billy chuckle.

He realised that Krystal had slowly been backing away and was already halfway across the room by the time he looked back at her. He saw how his father was watching her go, his arms crossed. There was a weird tension in the room that hadn't been there before. It was strange how Krystal had just left without saying anything. Was she mad at him?

* * *

Krystal barely bothered to lift her head from her pillow when she heard her bedroom door open later that night, expecting it to be Max. The sisters had been sleeping in each other's beds every night since Krystal had got back. It was the only way either of them felt safe enough to sleep.

"Max, it's almost three…" Krystal trailed off, when she saw it wasn't Max entering her room.

"Billy?" She frowned, as he quietly shut her bedroom door.

"Why did you-" Billy was cut off as a body collided with him as soon as he turned around.

His eyes widened as Krystal hugged him tightly, as he slowly draped his arms around her waist. He certainly hadn't been expecting that.

"What was that for?" Billy chuckled, as Krystal pulled away, with a small blush that he could just about make out in the darkness.

"I was worried about you, idiot. Neil wouldn't let me see you" Krystal admitted, as the pieces fell into place for Billy.

"Huh, and here I thought you just got bored of me" Billy replied, only half being a lie.

"What happened, Billy? Neil said you recanted your statement" Krystal exclaimed, as Billy looked away from her.

"Did he say why?" Billy queried, as Krystal shook her head.

"I never should have made the statement in the first place. There's no getting away from my dad. Not until I can leave high school at least" Billy explained.

"What changed your mind?" Krystal insisted, as she still wasn't convinced.

"…My concussion cleared, that's all. It was a stupid plan" Billy lied, not wanting to reveal the real reason.

"Yeah, I guess it was…" Krystal trailed off, making Billy frown.

"You okay?" Billy inquired, noticing her deflated behaviour.

"Let's just say your dad knocked some sense into me" Krystal muttered, as Billy let out a long sigh.

"He give you the speech about us staying away from each other too?" Billy guessed as Krystal nodded.

"He didn't hurt you anymore, did he?" Krystal questioned; concern clear in her voice.

Billy slowly shook his head, worried about what exactly his father might have done to her. Krystal leaned forward a moment later, resting their foreheads together as she let out a sigh. The moment she had seen him it was like a weight had been lifted off her shoulders. She felt Billy's lips brush over hers for a moment, before he quickly pulled himself away, with a shake of his head.

"Krystal, this…whatever this was…it's over. Its too dangerous" Billy insisted, as it was Krystal's turn to scoff.

"Haven't we already had this conversation?" Krystal pointed out.

"I'm serious! If my dad ever found out, he'd kill us both" Billy stated, as Krystal bit her lip.

"So, what? That's it? We just go back to how things used to be?" Krystal asked.

"Yes. Look, it's not like…like this ever meant anything. It was just a bit of fun" Billy told her, as hurt flashed across Krystal's face.

"That's all I am to you…fun?" Krystal questioned, an accusatory tone to her voice.

"Like I said before, your hot, Krystal. I'm a guy, I'm not gonna' pass up on a good piece of ass, am I?" Billy suggested, harshly.

"…Get out" Krystal snapped, shoving him in the chest.

Krystal quickly pushed him towards the door, all but throwing him out of her room and shutting the door behind him. She rubbed at her eyes in annoyance, hating that she could feel tears welling there. Billy was an asshole; she had always known that. But did she really mean nothing to him?

Billy stormed into his room, slamming the door shut as he slowly slid down the surface, hitting the floor roughly. He banged his head against the door, before dropping his head into his hands. He desperately wanted to march back to Krystal's room and take back everything he had said, but he knew he couldn't. The whole reason he had talked to her so harshly was that it was the only way to get her to stay away. She didn't know what Neil had threatened when Billy had first refused to recant his statement.

* * *

Krystal pulled her leather jacket closer to her as she walked through the long corridors of the hospital. Of course, Billy would forget his pain meds at the hospital and of course, Neil would tell her to walk all the way there to get them. He seemed to be trying to find any way he could to keep the teenagers apart. Not that Krystal minded after her fight with Billy. She was still furious with him. She had even considered not bothering to get his medications…for about five seconds. Krystal may have been pissed off, but she still didn't want to see him in pain.

"Hi, I'm here to pick up Billy Hargrove's medications" Krystal greeted, as she stood by the reception desk of the ward.

"Oh, you must be his sister-" The ward clerk began, but Krystal quickly cut him off.

"Step-sister" She stated, with a tight smile.

The moment she had the bag of medications in her hand, she was making her way to the door. She hated the looks she got from the various staff around the ward, who all seemed to have heard about the abuse going on in the Hargrove household. She hated being pitied. She raised her arm out to open the large doors of the unit, and grimaced when pain shot through her abdomen. Her wound was still bleeding and no matter how many bandages she used, it wouldn't seem to stop.

"Hey…it's Krystal, right?" A familiar voice inquired.

"Uh, yeah" Krystal replied, trying to remember where she had seen the man before.

"I was one of Billy's doctors. Are you picking up his meds?" The man informed her.

Krystal nodded, as she remembered he had been the doctor to speak against Billy going home so quickly. With his dark brown eyes, sharp cheekbones, and beard, he was clearly attractive. From the looks the nurses gave him as they walked past, everyone seemed to be aware of that.

"How is he?" The Doctor questioned, seeming genuinely interested.

"As okay as you can be after having internal bleeding, I guess" Krystal shrugged, as the Doctor chuckled lightly.

"And you?" He inquired, as Krystal looked at him with confusion.

"Are you okay?" The Doctor clarified as Krystal mulled over his question for a moment.

She was about as far from okay as she could get, but she wasn't about to go blabbing to a stranger. Even if he was a hot stranger.

"I'm fine" Krystal shrugged, as she went to move past him, but he quickly blocked her path.

"You're bleeding" He pointed out, looking down at her stomach, as blood began to pool under her shirt.

"Damnit" She muttered, pulling her leather jacket tighter over her stomach.

"C'mon, let me patch you up" The Doctor insisted, watching Krystal shake her head.

"I don't need your help" Krystal retorted, as the older man sighed.

"It'll take five minutes," He told her, as Krystal bit her lip.

Soon enough she found herself having her wound stitched up in a nearby doctor's office, by a man who's name she didn't even know. Deciding that needed to change, she spoke up, happy to end the awkward silence in the room.

"So, Doctor…?" Krystal trailed off, raising an eyebrow at him.

"Tyler. Just call me Tyler…I haven't been clinical for long, it sounds weird being called Doctor" The man explained, as he finished stitching her up.

"Why are you helping me?" Krystal asked, curiously.

"My dad used to beat the crap out of me…I remember what it's like dealing with the aftermath" He admitted, as Krystal's forehead wrinkled.

Before she could reply, the office door was suddenly ripped open to reveal an angry-looking Billy. He was breathing heavily and had a murderous look in his eyes. The teenager looked all but ready to snap.

"What's going on in here?" Billy announced, stepping inside.

"Nothing" Krystal answered quickly, pulling her shirt down, but Billy had already seen her wounds.

"I'll just leave you guys to it" Tyler mumbled, leaving the bandages next to her, and walking towards the door.

Krystal rolled her eyes as Billy stood in the doorway, practically puffing up his chest and glaring at the older man. With a loud cough and a raised eyebrow sent his way, Billy reluctantly stepped out of the way of the Doctor.

"Hey! Thank you" Krystal called out to him, as he smiled and closed the door behind him.

"Seriously, are you just gonna' start throwing yourself at every man in Hawkins now?" Billy suggested, taking a step forward.

"Well, at least I'm not the one who was about to get the measuring tape out" Krystal scoffed.

"What happened to your stomach?" Billy inquired, coming to stand close to her, spotting the bloody gauze beside her.

"Uh, you were there, remember? A dog from hell tried to kill us-" Krystal began, but Billy cut her off quickly.

"Those bruises weren't from the demodog" Billy stated, as Krystal gave him no reply.

Before she could react, Billy had grabbed the hem of her shirt and pulled it up to reveal the purple bruises that covered most of her abdomen. She tried to pull her top back down, but Billy only pulled her closer to him in response.

"Did my dad do that?" Billy asked, as Krystal looked away from him.

"Krys!" Billy exclaimed, as Krystal slowly nodded.

"…I didn't think he'd actually…fuck…" Billy trailed off, with a frown.

"Take your shirt off. You need that bandaged" Billy told her a moment later, as a mischievous smile grew on Krystal's face.

"At least take me on a date first" Krystal teased, as Billy rolled his eyes this time.

Billy was surprisingly good at pulling the crepe bandage over Krystal's abdomen, as she guessed it wasn't the first time he'd patched up a wound. Any thoughts of Billy's past abuse quickly dissipated when he suddenly kneeled in front of her. He cut the tape in his hands using his teeth and carefully placed it over the bandage to keep it in place. Krystal's mouth went dry as Billy's hands lingered on her stomach far too long. She gulped as Billy leaned forward to press his lips against one of the bruises just above her hip.

"Billy…" Krystal stammered, breathing heavy.

In the next second, Billy grabbed her hips and pulled her to the floor, where she practically landed on top of him. Before she could ask what he was doing, Billy's lips were crashing into hers, as he pulled her body against him. Krystal kissed him back for a few moments, before pulling away, a confused look on her face.

"You said this was over…that I was just a bit of fun" Krystal pointed out, the hurt still in her voice.

"I was trying to protect you from my dad. I thought if we ended this that he'd leave you alone" Billy admitted, as he moved to sit upright.

"I think it's too late for that" Krystal replied, from where she had moved so that she was straddling him.

"I don't want this to stop" Billy confessed, moving his hands to rest on her hips once again.

"Neither do I…but I'm not just gonna' be here for you to make out with and then drop me whenever you feel like it. We need some ground rules" Krystal informed him.

Billy nodded eagerly, his eyes already dropping to her lips, as Krystal expected he'd be willing to agree to anything at that moment.

"Rule one: No hooking up with other girls. I don't do sharing" Krystal announced, as a smirk spread over Billy's lips.

"Deal. Rule number two: No one ever finds out about this. So that means no squealing to Harrington or any of his little friends. We keep this a secret" Billy told her.

"Rule number three: You've got to be nicer to Max. She's my sister and she needs us to look out for her" Krystal went on, as Billy seemed to agree.

"Rule number four: We're not dating. I'm not your boyfriend. That's just not me" Billy exclaimed.

"Alright. So, we're more…friends with benefits?" Krystal suggested as Billy nodded.

"I can work with that" Billy smirked, as he pulled her further onto his lap.

"What you said last night, was all a lie then?" Krystal inquired, wrapping her arms around his shoulders.

"About you being a bit of fun? Yeah. About you being hot…not so much" Billy grinned, as he surged forward to kiss her.


	14. The Snow Ball

Billy lounged against the Camaro, taking a long drag of his cigarette, as he closed his eyes, feeling the cold wind of the night brush against his face. He expected he would get through his whole packet of cigarettes before the night was done. As punishment for all the times they had played hooky around Halloween, Billy and Krystal had been roped into helping out at the Snow Ball. It wasn't so bad, it got him away from his dad, and meant he got to spend more time with Krystal. Over a month had passed since their first kiss, and Billy's interest in her still hadn't dwindled, in fact, it had only grown stronger. He looked forward to seeing her, something that he had never experienced before. Neil tried to keep the pair apart at home, but there wasn't much he could do at the school. Krystal and Billy had become practically joined at the hip the moment they entered school property. It was still half an hour until the Snow Ball was set to start, which had given him enough time to collect an anxious Max from home, giving Krystal the time to change into her dress. Billy's eyes snapped up as he heard the hall door open, and the girl on his mind started to approach him. Billy let his eyes trail down the dark blue dress that puffed out around her waist, finishing just above her knees. Two small straps covered her shoulders, giving the dress an almost square neckline. Krystal grinned as she saw Billy checking her out, happy that she was getting the reaction she wanted.

"What do you think?" Krystal raised an eyebrow, as she came to stand in front of him. 

"It's a pretty dress…but you'd look even better out of it" Billy smirked, mischievously.

An indignant cry cut off Krystal's giggles, as Max shoved the back door of the Camaro open, looking a little green.

"You two are gross" Max muttered, crossing her arms.

"Says the girl who's been making googly eyes at Lucas all week" Krystal teased, as Max gave her a look of disbelief.

"Sinclair's the reason you've been so huffy all night?" Billy scoffed, unimpressed, throwing his cigarette on the ground.

"Max, just ask him to dance. You've taken on dogs from hell, a school dance won't kill you" Krystal insisted, but Max still didn't look convinced.

"…What if he says no?" Max mumbled, looking down at her shoes.

"Then he's an idiot and you'll find another boy who'll dance with you," Krystal told her.

"I could always threaten him if you want…" Billy trailed off, seeing how Max glared at him.

"Kidding! Jesus Maxine, just suck it up and ask him for Christ sake" Billy shook his head.

"Alright, alright! I'm going" Max exclaimed, as she began to make her way towards the school hall.

Krystal went to follow her sister, but Billy held her back as he saw a familiar car driving into the parking lot. Krystal frowned when she watched a grin spread across Billy's lips, and realised it was Steve's car that was stopping a few metres away from them.

"What's that look for?" Krystal inquired, raising an eyebrow.

"Wait and see" Billy smirked, as the passenger door opened.

Dustin quickly exited, clutching at his stomach as he burst into a fit of laughter. The door was slammed shut from the inside, as Dustin turned to walk towards the hall, still in a fit of giggles.

"Steve?" Krystal called out, as she saw him trying to hide behind the steering wheel.

"Come on out, Harrington" Billy exclaimed, sauntering forward and banging lightly on the hood of the car.

With a loud groan, Steve slowly opened the car door and stepped out, crossing his arms as he did so. Krystal's mouth went slack as her eyes trailed up, instantly seeing what Dustin was laughing about. She practically screeched with laughter, tears of amusement welling in her eyes.

"Yeah, yeah…hilarious, right?" Steve huffed, as Krystal clutched at her stomach.

"Guess you need to pay more attention when you're spraying your hair with that girly stuff, huh?" Billy grinned.

Krystal quickly put two and two together, realising from the red highlights that now coated Steve's hair, that Bily must have changed the Sarah Fawcett spray with what appeared to be a paint can.

"It's not even that bad-" Krystal began but started giggling again before she could even finish the sentence.

Billy and Steve had started a prank war a couple of weeks ago, neither of them remembering how it started now. A couple of days ago, Steve had stepped things up by removing all the screws in Billy's classroom chair. The result was Billy falling on his ass at the start of a lesson, resulting in a rare blush from the boy as everyone almost passed out from laughing. It seemed like this had been Billy's response.

"You done?" Steve rolled his eyes, as Krystal bit her lip.

"Uh huh," She nodded, rubbing her eyes which had filled with tears.

"You just wait till Monday, Hargrove! Just wait!" Steve grumbled, pointing a finger, making Billy's grin grow wider.

The pair burst into laughter again as Steve crouched down to get back into his car, mumbling about how he was going to make Billy pay. The playful rivalry between them had become a welcome distraction to Billy recently, helping to get his mind off the difficulties at home.

"C'mon, we better go in before they think we're playing hooky again" Krystal announced, grabbing Billy's hand.

"I think I'd rather stick a fork in my neck" Billy sighed.

"Oh, don't be so dramatic. It's just a bunch of thirteen-year-olds. How bad can it be?" Krystal suggested, dragging him towards the hall.

* * *

"What's in this?" A small boy with glasses questioned, as Billy poured some punch into a glass.

His only response was to glare at the boy, who backed up a few steps, raising his hands up.

"Uh…n-never mind" The boy replied, his brow sweating as he rushed away.

Billy grumbled under his breath as he continued pouring the foul-smelling punch into the cups, wondering how his life had gotten to such a low point.

"Cheer up, pal. It might never happen" A male teacher exclaimed, as he reached over and took one of the cups.

"It has happened, _**pal**_" Billy spat back, with a mocking tone.

The teacher audibly gulped as he walked away, obviously becoming uncomfortable under Billy's a thousand-yard stare. _Jesus, he really needed a cigarette_. Billy scanned the crowd for Krystal, finding her walking through the streamers to the side of the hall, and wondered where she was going.

"Why are you crying?" Krystal inquired, as she stopped in front of Dustin, who quickly rubbed at his eyes.

"I…I'm not. It's just uh…allergies…" Dustin stuttered as Krystal came to sit beside him.

"Ah, those pesky things" She nodded, as Dustin sniffled.

"…None of the girls will dance with me" Dustin admitted, his eyes downcast.

"Well, that's not quite true" Krystal informed him, holding out her hand, as he stared at it in confusion.

"C'mon, don't make me drag you out there" Krystal insisted, reaching out to hold his hand.

She led him onto the dancefloor, as his eyes looked like they were about to pop out of his head. Dustin's mouth went slack as she placed his small hands on her waist, pulling him a little closer.

"I don't know how to dance" Dustin blurted out.

"Neither do I. But who cares?" Krystal shrugged, as they started to sway to the music.

"Why are you being nice to me?" Dustin frowned, as Krystal placed her arms over his shoulders.

"I know what it's like to get rejected. It sucks. But you want to know a secret?" Krystal questioned, as Dustin nodded quickly.

"If someone can't see how special you are, then it's their loss. You don't need some stupid girl, Dustin. You fought against a demonic entity from another universe and won. You…are badass" Krystal insisted, as Dustin gave her a toothy grin.

Krystal saw a familiar figure in her peripheral vision and turned to see Billy staring at them, with a sad expression on his face. She thought a moment he was stupidly feeling jealous, but as her own shoulders deflated, she quickly realised the real cause.

"You wish you could dance with him?" Dustin queried, watching where Krystal's eyes had landed.

"It's not gonna' happen. He'd probably have two left feet anyway" Krystal shrugged, looking away from Billy's intense gaze.

"He wants to dance with you," Dustin told her, as a thoughtful look grew on her face.

"You think?" She asked as Dustin nodded.

"Max says he'd do pretty much anything for you" Dustin replied, watching Krystal grin.

* * *

Billy shoved the streamers out of his way, as he went to sit on one of the benches at the corner of the hall. He grabbed a flask from his back pocket, about to bring it to his lips when he heard a boy's mocking voice distract him.

"Poor Zombie boy, no one will dance with a freak like you? Boo hoo" A boy exclaimed, as he came to stand in front of Will a few metres from where Billy was sitting.

Will gave no response, simply fidgeting with his fingers, as he wiped at his nose.

"Oh god, are you crying? Did I hurt your girly little feelings? You really are a fag-" The boy began but was quickly cut off by a loud shout from Billy.

"Hey, asshole!" Billy yelled, pushing himself up from the bench and storming towards him.

"I…I was just…" The boy stuttered as Billy loomed over him.

"Fuck off" Billy told him, as the boy did what he was told, almost tripping over his own feet.

"…Why didn't you say anything?" Billy questioned, turning to a surprised Will.

"What?" Will mumbled, confused as to why Billy was even speaking to him.

"You don't stand up for yourself and dicks like that are going to walk over you your whole life" Billy explained.

"I don't want to fight" Will shrugged, as Billy slumped down beside him.

"Well, the world's not really going to give you a choice not to, kid" Billy exclaimed.

"I deserve a lot worse than being called a…you know…" Will muttered, his eyes downcast.

"No one deserves that" Billy scoffed, bringing the flask to his lips and taking a swig.

"You've been called…**_that_** before?" Will questioned, his eyebrows raised in shock.

"My dad's a grade-A asshole" Billy replied.

"My dad used to call me that too" Will admitted, as he went back to fidgeting.

"I…I'm not normal. I don't like…things I should like. And things I do like…it's wrong…" Will blurted out, as Billy realised what he was trying to say.

"Look, I'm not gonna' judge you, alright? I was making out with my step-sister in the storeroom a couple of hours ago…and that's wrong, isn't it? But it doesn't feel wrong. It makes me…happy, or whatever. So you…you just do you, kid" Billy explained.

"Thanks" Will smiled, as he turned to Billy with a hopeful expression.

"This conversation never happened, right?" Billy stated as he stood up.

"What conversation?" Will shrugged, as Billy's lips twitched into a smile.

* * *

Max's cheeks flushed a dark red as she pulled away from the kiss she had just planted on Lucas' lips. She giggled at the proud look on his face, knowing that she made the right choice in asking him to dance. An angry cough from behind them made her whip her head around, finding Krystal glaring at the pair.

"No way. This is not happening. Two metres apart…c'mon!" Krystal exclaimed, as she tried to get in between the couple.

"It was just a kiss, Krystal" Max groaned, embarrassed.

"Yeah, and I'm making sure that it stays like that" Krystal pointed out, as Lucas had to bite his lip to stop himself from laughing.

"I'll, uh…I'll call you tomorrow?" Lucas offered, as Max gave him a sweet smile.

"Cool" She nodded, as Lucas walked away with a skip in his step.

"So, that's what you've really been so nervous about all week, huh? You've been planning on kissing him?" Krystal suggested as Max shrugged.

"Mom said if I like a boy at the dance I should make sure he knows it" Max mumbled, as Krystal scoffed.

"And that's why mom ended up pregnant at nineteen" Krystal exclaimed, as Max gaped at her.

"You're so embarrassing" Max complained, hiding her face in her hands.

"Just like an older sister should be…in fact, maybe Lucas would want to see some baby pictures of you some time? Hey Lucas-" Krystal began, but was cut off as Max placed her hand over Krystal's mouth.

"Anyways, we better start heading out. If we miss curfew, Neal will kill us" Krystal pointed out.

"Can't we stay for a little longer? I've barely got to hang out with my friends" Max pouted, as Krystal let out a sigh.

"…Alright, thirty minutes" Krystal replied, as Max grinned and rushed off to the table her friends were sitting at.

It was then that Krystal spotted a familiar face cautiously approaching her, tugging at their dress nervously. Eleven.

"Hi" The young girl announced, with her strange accent.

"Hey…I like the hair" Krystal offered, as they came to stand near each other.

"Hopper helped. It smells funny now" Eleven replied, indicating to the hair gel that was smothered over her brunette hair.

"I bet Mike liked it. I saw you two dancing earlier. You've come a long way since we first met, huh?" Krystal teased, making Eleven blush.

"Are you…are you mad at me?" Eleven questioned, with wide eyes.

"For what?" Krystal frowned, confused by the guilty look on Eleven's face.

"I ran. They hurt your dad and I didn't do anything" Eleven mumbled, looking down at her shoes.

"You did the right thing" Krystal replied, as Eleven's eyes snapped up to hers.

"I'm sorry. It's my fault…it's my fault he's dead" Eleven cried, her bottom lip wobbling.

"Hey, of course it's not. My dad would have gladly taken a bullet for you. Just like he would have for anyone else. He was a good guy…he was a hero" Krystal exclaimed, tears welling in her own eyes.

"I thought you'd hate me" Eleven admitted, rubbing at her eyes, as a tear fell down her cheek.

"What good would that do? I'm glad you got away…that we helped you. Your one of the good guy's too, Eleven" Krystal pointed out, placing her hand on the younger girl's shoulder, and giving it a squeeze.

* * *

"Billy…someone could see…" Krystal trailed off, as Billy kissed down her neck.

He had her pinned up against the lockers in a dark hallway, not far from the school dance. Billy knew she was right, any of the kids or teachers could appear at any moment and that was something they couldn't afford to happen. Grabbing her hand, he led her further down the corridor, trying a few of the classroom doors, before he found one that was still ajar. He quickly pulled her in, his hands trailing down to grab her ass, pulling her up so she could wrap her legs around his waist.

"Someone's eager tonight" Krystal grinned, as he walked them over to the teacher's desk.

"We've barely had any time to ourselves all week…I'm just making up for lost time" Billy smirked, as dropped her down on the desk.

"Well, when you put it that way…" Krystal exclaimed as she moved to rip open the blue shirt he was wearing, touching the muscles underneath.

"You're such a tease" Billy complained, as Krystal began to trail kisses down his chest.

"Says the guy who barely buttons up his damn shirts" Krystal retorted, moving up to brush her lips against his neck.

Before Billy could reply, they heard the classroom door open, revealing a panting Will Byers in the doorway. Will's mouth dropped open as he saw the pair, Billy's shirt on the floor, and Krystal's legs wrapped around his waist.

"Uh…we were just…um, studying?" Krystal cringed, not sure what to say.

"He knows" Billy informed her, pulling away and crouching down to pick up his shirt.

"What?! What happened to Rule number two?" Krystal gaped, as she jumped down from the desk.

"He's not gonna' tell anyone-" Billy began but was cut off by Will before he could finish the sentence.

"Neil's here" Will piped up, as both the teenager's eyes snapped down to his.

Billy and Krystal wasted no time in rushing through the school hall, out to the parking lot, where they were just in time to watch Max being dragged towards Neil's car. It seemed that everyone else had gone home apart from Will and Eleven's whose respective parents were watching the scene.

"Get in the damn car, Maxine" Neil hissed, his hand wrapped around her bicep.

"Hey! Don't touch her" Krystal called over, quickly getting in between the pair, and pulling Max away from his grip.

"It's gone ten o'clock. Why the hell do I even bother with setting a curfew time if you little shits aren't going to listen to it?" Neil exclaimed, glaring at Krystal.

"We just lost track of time, dad" Billy stated, as his father turned to give him a look.

"And where exactly were you two, huh? I thought I said I didn't want you two spending time together" Neil insisted, as Billy opened his mouth to reply, but wasn't sure what to say.

"They were helping me! I was getting bullied and…and they stepped in" Will interjected, from where he was standing a few metres behind Billy.

"And who the fuck are you?" Neil scoffed, as Will audibly gulped.

"He's my son!" Joyce Byers announced, storming over to the man, a furious expression on her face.

"Well you should teach your son to fight his own fights, lady" Neil mocked.

"Trust me. The Byers can handle themselves" Hopper retorted, coming to stand beside Joyce.

"Chief! Nice to see ya'. You arrested anyone else wrongfully recently?" Neil questioned, not backing down.

"Dad, stop it" Billy exclaimed, able to smell the alcohol on his father's breath from where he was standing.

"Just get in the damn car. We'll talk about this at home" Neil gritted through his teeth.

"It wasn't Billy's fault! I asked to stay longer-" Max exclaimed, as Neil cut her off.

"Then maybe it's you I need to have words with, Maxine" Neil stated, the threat clear in his voice.

"Actually, Max is going to stay over at a friend's house tonight" Krystal informed him, her eyes falling on Eleven from a few metres away.

"Sleepover?" Eleven suggested, looking up at Hopper.

"Sounds good to me. I'm sure that won't be a problem, right Neil?" Hopper nodded, as he ushered Max over to him.

"Whatever. You two, let's go" Neil insisted, pointing to Billy and Krystal and then to his car.

"…Krystal could come too-" Max began, but Neil quickly stopped her.

"Krystal needs to learn about a little something called responsibility" Neil muttered, as he ripped open the driver's door to his car.

"It's fine. I'll see you in the morning" Krystal told her, as she all but pushed Max towards Hopper.

Hopper watched her climb into the backseat with clenched fists, knowing exactly what was going to happen to both Krystal and Billy when they got home. If only he could get some real evidence of the abuse…footage maybe, he could get the pair out of the house. He placed his hands comfortingly on Max's shoulders, sharing the girl's worried expression.

* * *

"Why did you do that?" Krystal asked, later that night, in the bathroom as she used a cloth to clean Billy's bloody lip.

The moment they had arrived home, Neil had sent Susan to their bedroom and started on Billy and Krystal. Neil went straight for his newfound target, hitting Krystal directly in the stomach, just where he knew it would hurt. Billy had quickly stepped in between them and stated that he was the one who decided to stay out past their curfew and had gained a hard punch from Neil's fist. In retrospect, it could have been a lot worse. Neil's drinking had meant that he wanted to pass out rather than beat on his son, but Krystal was still pissed.

"You took the last beating" Billy shrugged, as Krystal cupped his cheek.

"We're not keeping a fucking score, Billy" Krystal sighed.

"Look, no harm, no foul, okay? This is nothing. C'mon, we can't hang in here forever, he might wake up soon" Billy pointed out, pulling away from her touch.

"Will you pick up Max in the morning?" Krystal questioned, dropping the cloth into the sink.

"What do I get as my reward?" Billy grinned, as Krystal gave him a thoughtful look.

"…You get to cop a feel…afterwards" Krystal exclaimed as Billy leaned forward.

"Deal" He smirked, pressing a quick kiss to her lips before turning on his heel and leaving the bathroom.

Krystal's smile quickly faded, as she let out a breath that she had been holding since they had entered the bathroom. She unzipped her dress at the back, pulling the material down to her stomach as her gaze fell on the new bruise that was blossoming over her abdomen. Her forehead wrinkled as she looked at the healing wound that lay underneath her bra. The clear outline of the bite from the demodog was still red and…black? Krystal turned to look in the mirror and saw that there was a strange black line running down from the wound. She rubbed at it with her thumb, wondering if it was just dirt, but it didn't rub away. She grimaced as pain ripped into her chest as she touched the skin there, almost doubling over in pain. Suddenly, the next moment the discomfort was gone, as if it had never even been there. Straightening up, she looked back into the mirror and saw the black mark had vanished. _Strange_, she thought to herself, as she pulled the dress back up and walked out the bathroom, not seeing how the lights flickered as she left.


End file.
